Inferno Unchained
by PNR-guilty-pleasure
Summary: After Dimitri rescues a girl from severe punishment, he finds himself being attracted to her. But a human and a Dragon could never be together. Rose is grateful to her Dragon savior, but the strange handsome knight he left her with, also draws her attention. She is torn between the Dragon she can share her deepest thoughts too and the knight she affectionately named Comrade.
1. Chapter 1

I would like to acknowledge three writers.

First of all, of course, Richelle Mead. I don't own Romitri, but I can fantasize all I want.

Secondly, Ga Aiken, who wrote the Dragon kin series. I don't own any of her stories or characters, but I was definitely inspired by her series to write this. Although I take to many liberties with her world for it to be a crossover if you have read her stories you will recognize a lot of things. If you haven't read any of her work, please do, she is an amazing writer and all her stories are hot and hilarious.

and lastly, I would like to thank Swimming the same deep waters. She checked the story and helped me with a few things. Thanks so much and I appreciate every single then you turned into than. ( my god there were a lot;)).

I tried to push myself a little with this story, in thems of length. Adding a bit more backstory and trying to delay gratification a bit, instead of jumping from key scene to key scene. Enjoy.

DPOV

"Bitch!"

Leave it to humans to wreck a beautiful day.

The sun was high in the sky, warming my brown scales with its rays. The soft breeze provided the perfect conditions just to glide, and I could let my wings rest. Cattle were grazing down in the green grass of spring and had provided the perfect breakfast. I had a full stomach and was enjoying the simple, quiet time between me and the air.

But now my good mood was ruined because some irritating human found it necessary to hiss, bitch and scream on this lovely day and ruin the outdoor space for the rest of us.

But I must say the imaginative curses that were coming from his mouth and the slight undertone of pain in his voice had me intrigued.

So I landed a bit away from the town I heard the bellows coming from. Humans tend to get a little iffy when they see a dragon that towers over most of their buildings. Not that I cared about the sensitive nature of humans, but it is annoying when they start to chase you with torches, pitchforks and spears.

I let the magical flames engulf me. I felt my scales transform to skin and my talons to fingers. My snout retreated into my face and became a mouth, and my height was reduced to a mere six foot seven inches. Still a lot bigger than most human males, but still. I always felt a little small in my human form. It was strange containing so much strength and power in such a small package.

I was about to walk towards the direction the profanities were coming from when I looked down and saw my naked form. I rolled my eyes as I grabbed some clothes from the pack I always carried with me. Humans were such prudes. They take one look at a naked body and would blush, scream or come after you with the aforementioned pitchfork.

That seemed to be their answer for everything. Don't like it? Attack it with pitchforks.

Once dressed, I walked the small distance to the edge of town and climbed a tree so I could see the spectacle.

I was momentarily mesmerized when I saw a woman run toward the tree. Her long, dark hair flying behind her due to the wind and her own momentum. She ran with such grace - her lean body seemed to be made for moving in this way. The long skirt she was wearing didn't seem to hinder her speed, and I could see the material flapping around her legs. I could hear her ragged breathing and see her breasts move up and down in her bodice from the exertion of her current activity.

She kept looking behind her, but I also saw determination in those big dark-brown orbs of hers.

"There is nowhere to run, you dumb cow. You will pay for this."

Ah. The human who ruined my mood was chasing this girl. There were a few people running in front of him, and by the look of armor on their chest, they were either soldiers or guards. The bellowing boy was behind them, running at a much slower speed. His gait was strange, and he was cupping his groin. I put two and two together and imagined the girl had hit him in the nuts. He didn't seem to be particularly pleased with that.

"Nobody refuses me, Rose. Nobody!"

So this little prick tried to force himself on her, and she decided she could find better uses for his balls. I kind of loved this girl already.

However, the soldiers were gaining ground. At this rate, they would catch her. She seemed to realize this too, and turned around and bent down in a defensive position. She was going to take on the guards.

"Well apparently somebody said no this time, Jesse. And I doubt you will be able to get that appendage of yours functioning anytime soon," she said with a tone that suggested bravery where I had suspected fear.

I saw the boy practically fume with rage at her words.

"That is Lord Zeklos to you, and I will make sure you regret it."

Ah, a Royal. Humans were so strange. Their society was so layered and hierarchal. They believed that to whom they were born determined their value. This Royal thought that simply because of to whom he was born he was more important and deserved more than this girl, who based on her clothes was from a lower class.

We Dragons had Royals too. It was necessary to ensure a continuation of a ruling family, but every King or Queen had to prove their worth. And although 'low borns' could never take the throne, they could become Generals and high-ranking members of our society. We valued people for their skills. Although truth be told, there was more room for error in Royal families due to the wealth they had accumulated. And political power was counted as power as well. But otherwise, everyone was born equal. You could only move up and gain respect for your actions.

The guards started to attack the girl. But surprisingly she held her own. She evaded one but took a hit from another. But that hardly fazed her. She started to go on the offense and was able to land a few hits. Her technique was sloppy, but it proved she had some sort of combat training. She was able to deck one guy by using her speed and agility to take his legs out. She kicked another in the balls. I saw the Royal boy flinch and grab his own balls in response. No doubt it was the same technique that rendered him useless.

But there were simply too many guards for her to take down.

After a few more moments, the girl was on her knees with her hands behind her back. Her face was turned towards me, and I could see the fire in her eyes. She wasn't going to go easilly even if her body was subdued for the time being.

The boy was limping over to her and grabbed her chin, tilting it upwards. His thumb stroked her luscious, full lips and I nearly left my vantage point in the tree to come to her rescue. But I doubt I would be doing her any favors.

The boy smirked at the rage emanating from the girl.

"My precious, beautiful Rose, such a shame."

He bent down a little and whispered in her ear. Her eyes widened at his words, and although I doubt anyone else could have heard them, with my enhanced Dragon hearing I heard it just fine.

"I will make you scream, one way or the other."

I was about to come down from the tree and burn the boy to a crisp when I felt the heat in the tree. Flames didn't harm me. I was fire itself. But I hadn't noticed a fire burning nearby that could have transferred to the tree. The group holding the girl were too far away to notice. It had been a hot day; perhaps the tree had caught fire because it was dry. I merely stepped down from the tree, the flames only burning my clothes. Great. Now I was naked again. And I had been distracted long enough for them to walk back to the town. I could catch up to them. I could transform back to my Dragon form and make sure that boy was nothing but ash. But I could hear my mother's voice in my head, scolding me after the last time I decided to take justice into my own hands.

The last human I fried, because he was abusing some woman, was apparently the sole heir to a kingdom not far from ours. They traded supplies with Dragons in human form, and because I had killed the sole heir, the kingdom destabilized, and civil war erupted. Now, Dragons rarely care about human politics, but apparently, it was an inconvenience because it had affected our trade routes. So I would first have to see how important this boy was before I burned him to a crisp. I couldn't care less about trade routes, but I didn't enjoy upsetting my mother. She was much more concerned with these things.

With no more clothes to put on, I summoned the magical flames that transformed me back into my true form and took to the skies. I flew high enough into the sun so they would have a hard time spotting me. That way I could follow them and keep an eye on them to make sure they didn't hurt her.

Why I cared so much about the well-being of this girl I didn't know. She was a human of no importance. I told myself I wasn't here to rescue her, but to rid this world of this vile creature that had the nerve to disrupt this beautiful morning.

It wasn't long before they reached the center of town and were dragging the girl on some stage. They bound her to two posts, her hands in chains and bound above her head. The guard behind her ripped her clothes open at the back. The structured bodice still held up enough of her dress that her modesty was protected, but only barely. Her sleeves were hanging off her shoulders, and her hair was placed to one side, so her back was completely exposed.

Although I scolded myself for even thinking of that sort of thing when she was obviously going to be tortured, I couldn't help my eyes darting to the large portion of exposed breast now on display. The bodice before it was ripped already had given me a good view of the swell of her breasts, but now that her shirt had also been ripped open, and was no longer able to cover her shoulders and neckline, I could appreciate the exposed and tanned skin peeking out of her bodice. One inch lower, and I would have been able to see her nipples. Her breasts were heaving up and down in rapid succession both from the chase as well as anticipation of what was coming next.

A crowd was gathering, wanting to see the spectacle. They egged the guards and the boy on, gathering behind their Royal and sheepishly approving of his actions. I couldn't be sure, perhaps this was a violent town that enjoyed torture more than the average human, but I think they were personally offended by Rose. The town had united behind the boy a little too fast for my liking.

"No please, Rose."

I heard a hysterical woman scream from some balcony. By the look of her clothes and the intricate details of the stonemason's work on the balcony, I figured she was either Royal or had a lot of money, probably both. She had light blonde hair and was slim and tall. Her piercing green eyes were filled with fear - obviously for her friend chained to the posts, whom I assumed was named Rose.

She turned her head to the infuriating boy and pleaded him to let Rose go.

"Please, Lord Zeklos, whatever Rose has done I am sure I can accommodate an arrangement to reimburse you for the trouble. Rose is my handmaiden and ultimately my responsibility."

The cruel smile on the boy's face did nothing to soothe my nerves. I saw a similar reaction in the blonde woman, and she knew he wasn't going to let her go that easy.

"I am sorry, Lady Dragomir. But Rosie over here attacked me and my guards. We have witnesses who can confirm this, and for such a heinous act she needs to be punished."

No doubt, those witnesses were his own guards. They would testify to anything. But I do think she attacked him. It seemed to me he attacked her first. Money and power ruled humans, not justice.

Lady Dragomir hung her shoulders in defeat and needed the railing of the balcony to support herself. I wondered if the name reflected a kinship to Dragons, but most likely it was a coincidence in the language. The people here have been known to have roots in more eastern regions, and I knew the language there had a word Drag for precious.

An older lady in plain clothes came by her side to support her. We all knew what was coming, including Rose. She looked towards her charge, the Lady Dragomir, and smiled a small smile that held no humor, just bravery. She was trying to be strong, and let her friend know she was going to be okay. That she shouldn't interfere or she would only make it worse. She was asking her not to jeopardize her reputation to save a commoner.

Lord Zeke or whatever gave the command, and one of his guards took out a large whip.

He let it rip, and I saw blood spray from her back. Her entire body convulsed because of the motion of the whip, and she hung in her chains because her legs had given out under the pain. But she didn't scream. She didn't make a single sound. She didn't close her eyes. She defiantly kept looking at the boy who had commanded her pain. Her eyes were alight with fire, and I saw determination in her eyes. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of letting him hear her scream.

The guard waived the whip above his head again and let it come down on her skin with lightning speed. But the only sounds that could be heard were the parting of her skin on impact of the whip and the sobs coming from the balcony.

I was touched that this Lady valued her handmaiden enough to cry for her. Although it was a bit annoying that she seemed to show more pain than the person actually being punished. If she truly wanted to help her friend and honor her fight, she would have remained silent as well.

The boy was starting to become agitated.

"Again."

Even the guard seemed to be a little hesitant this time. But he released the whip once again and made contact with Rose's beautiful and flawless skin, marring the perfection with another bloody streak across her back.

Rose was barely conscious now. Maybe it would be easier for her to just pass out from the pain than it was to keep feeling it. But she seemed to want to stay awake, so she could keep defying the boy.

He was fuming by now, and he shouted "Again." He was practically spitting the words over and over again, spraying his saliva all around those closest to him.

The crowd seemed to have stopped their cheers. Humans were always in for a few laughs and giggles when looking at torture, but even they thought it was enough if their silence was any indication. The bonfire in the town square seemed to blaze with more intensity than it had a moment ago. Like even the flames were furious with this cruel boy and were condemning him.

But the boy seemed oblivious to the crowd's response, and kept spitting "again."

And at that moment, I realized he wasn't going to stop. Not until she was dead.

The thought made my breath stop in my chest, and for a moment I couldn't breathe. I had only met this girl twenty minutes ago. Well, met was stretching it. I had seen her, but she hadn't seen me. But the thought that this strong, defiant girl could come to an end by this sorry excuse for a being was more than I could bear.

I had been flying high in the sun, so nobody would be able to spot me, but now I descended to the earth - and the closer I came, the bigger my shadow on the ground. People started to scream and run. Dragons seem to have that effect on humans.

I landed on the stage, practically destroying it. I breathed in deeply and felt that tingle in my throat that I always felt right before combustion. I released the flame into the air in a display of power. I hoped it would be enough to deter brave souls from interfering with my task.

Rose slowly turned her head around to look at me. Where everyone else's eyes were filled with fear, hers was surprisingly absent of that particular emotion. I told myself it was because her consciousness was hanging on by a thread. She probably didn't even notice I was there.

I saw some fools gathering guards to fight me. Humans had developed some anti-Dragon weapons, but the spears these guards were carrying couldn't do much damage. Even if one got past my scales, it would hurt, but it would hardly be fatal.

I ripped the chains that kept her bound to the posts off with my talons. She nearly plummeted to the ground. I scooped the girl up in my claws. She was so tiny. So light. I wondered how such a fragile creature could appear to be so strong. She held my gaze for a moment.

"You're safe now."

With those words of comfort she fell unconscious in my arms, and I took to the skies, careful not to jostle the delicate package I was carrying.

I took her to my cave only a few miles from here. For humans, the ride would have taken longer, but with my wingspan, we were there in a few minutes. I had sent word to my sister to come over.

Dragons had a connection to their kin and could communicate with them across large distances. It definitely beat having to send a messenger all the time, but it also meant I would have my little sister in my head constantly asking me things. My mother was there quite frequently, too, asking me when I would visit.

I landed on a bedrock near the entrance to the cave. I was very proud of my cave. It had its own internal hot spring fueled from fire deep within the mountain. The spring was big enough to accommodate even my true form. The rest of the cave was warm in the winter and cool in the summer, with a separate space for eating, sleeping and reading.

I took Rose to an alcove that contained my bed for when I was in human form. I laid her down on the furs, covering the mattress and started to take off her shoes. Her breathing was even, and her face was relaxed. Her hair was spread on the pillow, and I ran my fingers through it trying to untangle the mess. Her hair was silky smooth and it didn't take me long to make it look somewhat presentable again. I had taken it away from the bloodied mess that was her back, but saw that the tips were coated in her blood. She would have to wash once she was awake to get all of it out.

I touched her cheek and found the skin as soft as I had imagined.

"You are safe here. Sleep now, Roza."


	2. Chapter 2

RPOV

I woke up but hadn't opened my eyes yet. But I could already tell I wasn't in my room, back at the palace.

For one, it smelled different. I could smell pine, something musky and something smoky. Like the delicious smell of a bonfire made with fresh pine logs. I could only find one word to accurately summarize the smell. Manly.

The second thing I noticed was the sound of a fire burning in the corner. I had slept my entire life, or at least the life I remember, in one room, and it didn't have a fireplace. The only heat we were allowed to have had been the heat coming from Lissa's room. But now I could feel the flames' warmth on my face, I decided I would do anything in my power to acquire a room that had a fireplace. I wanted to wake up like this all the time.

The third thing I noticed was the bed. My bed in the room I shared with the handmaidens was flat, cold and prickly with straw. But this bed was soft and warm, and the furs that covered it were plush.

I decided even before I opened my eyes that I didn't care if I was being held by a maniac. They couldn't be that bad if they provided me with such comforts. Also, if they did end up doing horrible things to me, I would always have this memory of luxury and be grateful for it.

That was until I noticed a fourth thing. I was completely naked underneath the furs.

I finally opened my eyes and lifted the furs. Yeah, definitely naked. Usually, the only time I was naked was when I bathed. I lived with other handmaidens, and even amongst ourselves, we were expected to be proper. So I always slept in appropriate sleepwear, no matter how uncomfortable. Again, I preferred this version.

I was trying to determine how I got here, and where here was.

What is the last thing you remember, Rose? Come on, think!

I felt a ghost of pain radiating from my back as I remembered what Jesse had done to me and tried to touch my back over my shoulder. There was something covering my back, and I noticed it was no longer hurting.

I thought back to the moment just before I passed out. I had been stubbornly watching Jesse through my blurry vision, unwilling to let him win. People started screaming, and the sun was blocked by a large shadow. I'd turned towards the shadow and been met with brown eyes too large to be human. The scales around his eyes and the horns on his head led me to believe he was in fact not human, but Dragon.

I scanned the room but found no trace of my rescuer. I lifted the sheet below the furs from the bed and wrapped it around my body, seeing as I didn't see my clothes anywhere. I took a look around the alcove. There was the bed I had woken up in, which was massive. It filled half the space. Then there was the fire not far from the bed, keeping it nice and toasty. The room seemed awfully small for a Dragon, and I wondered if Dragons actually slept in beds.

I walked towards the next alcove and saw a comfy chair with books lining the wall. This seemed to be a library. It had many books, educational as well as fiction, and I scanned some titles. Some general recounts of wars fought in the past, some strategy books and even a few cookbooks. I also found an entire series of a writer I'd heard off. He had published several books across the years portraying a knight in search of justice. The stories were quite popular, and I saw this library seemed to contain all of the books released in the series. Here there was also a fire pit, but it wasn't lit. But it was nowhere near cold in here. The fires from the rest of the cave seemed to permeate this section as well.

I kept walking, coming into what I assumed was the living area, because I saw a table with food. And although I was very hungry, my eyes weren't glued to the food on the table, but on the man standing by the fireplace. I had expected a Dragon, but these quarters seemed too small to accommodate a creature of that size. So I shouldn't have been surprised to find they were occupied by a man.

And what a man he was. His back was turned to me, and he was watching the fire. The dancing shadows cast by the flames accentuated his muscular physique. He was tall, to say the least, and his shoulders were broad, but he was in no way bulky. His back was well defined and tapered into narrow hips that held up strong legs. He was shirtless, but did wear pants. However, the fabric left little to the imagination. He might as well have been wearing nothing. His brown, silky hair was shoulder length and was bound at the nape of his neck with a leather bind. I couldn't see his face, but I hoped it was as gorgeous as the rest of him.

He was mesmerized by the fire. His breathing seemed to be synchronized to the flames, and each time he exhaled the fire seemed to glow a little bit brighter. When I took a step closer to him, the flames strangely responded and I felt a similar draw to the blaze he seemed to be having.

I was still a few feet away when his voice echoed through the cave.

"I didn't think you would be up so soon. You were really out of it."

I stood next to him simply admiring the fire as I responded.

"How long have I been out?"

He shrugged.

"About a day."

And he thought that was soon?

He turned around to speak to me, but halfway through, his voice got stuck in his throat as he took in my appearance. He scanned me up and down, noticing I was naked bar the sheet. The sheet protected my most private assets. I was holding it over my chest with my hands, and with the way it was wrapped around me, my lower regions were protected. But I had wrapped the sheet fast and awkwardly, so one side was long whereas the other had my leg peeking out of it. The split was located at that same spot on my leg showing my whole leg right up to the hipbone. My hair must have been a mess, and I could only imagine what I looked like after being tortured.

He cleared his throat and tried again.

"Are you feeling better?"

I had a similar reaction upon seeing his face. It matched his body perfectly. His jaw was square, but not too stern, and his lips were full. His eyes still seemed to reflect the fire, but once I focused on them, I saw they were actually a light brown. They held concern in them and something I couldn't quite place. It took me a while before I was able to respond myself.

"I am, actually."

I looked around the cave again, wondering why I was here and who this man was. Where was the Dragon?

"Where is my rescuer? I would like to thank him."

He looked at me a bit funny but shook his head.

"He put you in my care. You will be safe here."

I had a smirk on my face. I tried to put my hands on my hips in a defiant gesture but remembered at the last minute I was using my hands to hold up the sheet.

"So your idea of taking care of me was leaving me naked in your bed, after doing God knows what to me?"

He seemed offended by my accusation. Good, it meant he wasn't the type of guy that would take advantage of a girl. Although I wouldn't mind being taken advantage of by him.

"I had my sister come in and treat your wounds. She undressed you and put you to bed. She had to take off your clothes to treat the wounds, and most of the clothes were ruined anyway."

He was getting very defensive. I suppose he doesn't like anybody questioning his honor. Maybe he was a knight, like in one of those books in his library.

My smirk turned into a genuine smile.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome," he grumbled.

"My name is Rose," I said, shuffling around the sheet to one hand so I could stretch out the other in greeting.

"Dimitri," he reciprocated.

My stomach growled, and he smiled a little as he lead me to the table.

"Eat whatever you like. I will see if we can find you some clothes that fit."

I looked at the selection on the table. Cooked meat, some bread, fruits and cheeses. I don't think I'd ever had so many choices for breakfast. I don't think I'd ever had most of them. I'd seen the exotic fruit on Lissa's plate, once, but I hadn't had a chance to taste them. Most of the time, my breakfast consisted of oatmeal or day old bread.

I didn't hesitate as I started to munch on the food. The bread was freshly baked, the fruit juicy and the meat succulent. I have to say, I don't think I ever wanted to leave this place. Mister tall, dark, and handsome had a new roommate. I finished my meal with some of the cheese, when Dimitri came back holding some clothing.

He held the garment up for my inspection, and I just stared at it. It was beautiful. Intricate lace was covering the bodice, and there was beadwork all over the dress. The material itself was silk. The dress must have cost a fortune, and I wondered how he came to own it.

"I wouldn't even know how to put that on. I am a simple handmaiden."

He chuckled and put the dress down.

"You might be a handmaiden, but you are not a 'simple' anything."

He walked away, coming back a minute later with a blouse, trousers and some binds for my chest.

"They will be a little big on you, but I really only have the one dress. I can ask my sister to bring something more appropriate when she comes over next."

I looked him over and saw he too had changed. He was now wearing a shirt with the colors and crest of what I assumed to be his home. I was seriously considering this knight thing.

I recognized the colors. It was actually not a kingdom but a state. They didn't have royals there like we did. The idea was that everyone was pitching in their skill-set to better the country, and they would be rewarded based on what they needed. Nobody was rich, and nobody was poor. The idea was compelling, but I heard the execution could use some work. I also remembered they referred to each other as comrades.

I pointed to the shirt.

"Are those the colors of your home, Comrade?"

He raised an eyebrow at the nickname. Oh, that was so going to stick.

"Actually, no. I just lifted this off some poor soul when I needed clothes."

Okay. Rethinking the knight idea.

He changed subjects, pointing at the table.

"All finished?"

I nodded.

"It was delicious, thank you."

He inclined his head slightly, taking the gratitude. He placed the clothes next to me on the bench at the table.

"I'll need to check the dressings on your back and change them before you put on the binds."

He sat down beside me as I turned my back towards him, and let the sheet drop to my hips, keeping the front of my chest covered with the sheet to stop me from flashing him. He peeled the leaves covered with goo from me one by one. I felt his fingers still for a moment in what seemed to be hesitation. I was about to ask him what was wrong, but he kept going, taking the leaves off. He cleaned my back with a warm, wet cloth.

"The wounds are healing well. You probably don't need the leaves anymore. So if you want, you can take a bath before you put the clothes on. There is still a bit off blood in your hair."

"You actually have a bathtub in here?"

I turned around in surprise that he would have a bath here. I saw him back up slightly, started by my sudden change in body position. He quickly grabbed a jug from the table and held it in front of his abdomen. After his blush for whatever reason had gone down, he started to smile.

"No, I have a hot spring."

I got up from the bench, noticing he was keeping the jug of water he grabbed from the table in front of him. He lead me through a small passage, and I saw he took a swig of water from the jug and discarded it along the way.

He took me to a small opening, and I saw he had to bend to fit through. I was a lot smaller, so didn't need to bend down. Once I was through the passage, I gasped.

We were in a large dome. The ceilings were so high, I think the Dragon could have fit in here three times over in height. There was an internal spring the size of a lake, and I could see a waterfall at the back obscuring the content of the cave from anyone else. Next to the lake was a large area of rock that looked hollowed out. It almost gave off a feel of being cozy.

He led me to the edge of the water, and I sat down on the rock separating the lake from the rest of the cave. I touched the water with my fingers and noticed it was indeed warm.

He cleared his throat, looking a little uncomfortable.

"I'll leave you to bathe, then. The middle is quite deep, so if you don't know how to swim, stay in the shallowsnear the edges. I'll get you a cloth to dry off with."

I placed the clothes I had brought from the breakfast table on a rock and started to put a foot into the water. Taking off the sheet, I heard him clear his throat again as he made his way back into the cave.

"Thank you." I practically shouted at the fast retreating form.

I think I heard him grumble a 'you're welcome', but he was gone too quickly for me to be sure.

I let my body sink into the warm water and sighed deeply. Did I mention I was never going to leave? He was stuck with me. It was strange that a cave was the most comfortable place I had ever been. I lived in a palace for God's sake, but the little room I shared with other girls, and the cold bath I also shared with them, just couldn't compare to this. Honestly, all that was missing was a bit of sunlight. I would love a nice sundeck or balcony.

I'd always loved the sun. No matter how bad things got, once I was in the sun soaking up its rays I knew I was going to be fine. It was like the sun was recharging me. The cave was in no way dark - it had enough torches burning that it was actually pretty light - but there was no substitute for direct sunlight.

I swam to the middle of the lake and he was right. It was deep. I couldn't feel the bottom anymore; I couldn't even see the bottom anymore, even though the water was crystal clear. Here the water was slightly cooler, making me believe the source of the warm water was closer to the edge where I was earlier.

But the middle of the lake had something the edge didn't; a beam of sunlight. There was a small hole in the roof of the cavern, and a small sliver of sun was worming its way through. It didn't do much in the way of illuminating the cave, but the beam was large enough to warm my face. I leisurely kept floating around in the beam. I felt all the weight of the world wash away from me. The events of the last few days, Jesse's advances, his unwanted attack and then his retaliation for me kicking him in the balls. The last part had been funny, the rest not so much. I knew if the Dragon hadn't saved me, he probably would have killed me.

I tried not to think about that too much. I was alive, and that was all that mattered for now. I was enjoying being in the moment for once. Because if I thought about what was coming next, I knew I would be horribly depressed. I knew I would have to go back to Lissa. It was my duty, but I wasn't looking forward to it. Hence me staying in the hot spring.

But eventually, I had to get out of the water. I was starting to get pruney.

I swam to the edge and was floating around in the warmer water a little longer before I hauled my ass out of it and dried myself off. I put the binds on around my chest, seeing as there didn't seem to be a bodice for support and put on the blouse and trousers. I noticed he hadn't provided any undergarments for the trousers either. I shrugged. I doubted the undergarment I would usually wear under my dress would fit in these pants.

They were a little big on me in terms of height. I had to roll up the legs a bit, otherwise I would trip. I had to do the same with the shirt. I tucked in the shirt in the pants and started to walk back into the living area in search of shoes.


	3. Chapter 3

DPOV

I groaned as I sat down in my chair in my library. She had been here less than a day and was already affecting me so much. I can't believe I was aroused and hard just by touching her back and then again when she slipped into the water. Granted her body was perfect, but still, I normally had more control over myself.

Speaking of her back, I didn't understand what had happened. I had seen her wounds when she came in. The lashes were deep, and I was sure they would scar. But when I removed the leaves, there wasn't a single trace of them on her now flawless back. My sister was a gifted healer, but she wasn't that good. I was starting to wonder who this girl was.

I had been lurking around in the dark watching her bath. Yeah, this girl had me lurking. I nearly rolled my eyes, but there was something about her I couldn't quite place. She seemed so relaxed and peaceful when she was floating around in the warm water. But once she discovered the beam of sunlight I was mesmerized. She didn't just look beautiful; she looked angelic. She had her eyes closed as she was soaking up the sun's rays. I could almost see her complexion change from my position. Like the sun brought back a little color to her face. That spot in the lake was also my favorite spot. I usually only swam towards it when I was human. The beam was too small to do much in my Dragon form.

Another thing I didn't understand. I could have said I was the Dragon that saved her. She didn't seem to realize he and I were the same person. I knew humans didn't know Dragons had a human form and we would like to keep it that way, so I should keep it from her for the sake of my race. I also told myself she would probably feel safer with someone of her own kind. Even if she hadn't shown the usual fear most humans did when she was about to pass out, it didn't mean that she wouldn't be afraid when a large snout with even larger teeth came and woke her up - even if she did ask me to thank the Dragon for her. I have never met a human that thanked a Dragon. Shoot… yes. Thanked… no.

What I didn't understand was why I was taking her feelings into consideration. I was a Dragon and she could either deal with that or not, but somehow I wanted her to feel safe here. I wanted her to relax. I wanted her not to be afraid of me. I wanted to stop being such an emotional sap in her presence. For God's sake, I was two-hundred and forty years old. But I had never felt like this.

I had left before she climbed out of the lake and started to dress, although I had a hard time dragging my body away. I had settled for the library so I could emerge myself into a story of someone else's life instead of having to deal with my own, even if that life were of a fictional character.

But even that reprieve from her was short lived as she came looking for me only moments later.

She looked fresh and clean. Her hair was still wet, but she had let it hung across her back so it could dry. The white shirt was a little big on her, as were the pants. I had done this on purpose so it would cover her up a bit more, but as luck would have it, it showed off her assets to perfection. The pants were tight around her legs, they were just way too long, but it displayed her toned and slim legs and ample hips perfectly. The blouse was hanging loosely over her upper body, and it did obscure most of her breasts. But because it was hanging loose, it also was hanging more off one shoulder showing her clavicle, which I found surprisingly sexy. The blouse opened up in a low V because of that as well, so I got a small view of her cleavage as the binds weren't able to hold it all in.

I thought I couldn't get any more turned on than I was by a clothed woman when she walked toward the bookcase and turned her back, and more importantly her ass to me. I nearly abandoned all reason and took her right there against the bookcase, but was able to restrain myself. But her perfectly round sculpted ass was just begging me to touch it.

I had to grab a book to busy my hands so they wouldn't do exactly that.

"So did you have a nice bath?"

She moaned, and I lowered the book down to my groin to hide my excitement… Again.

"It was amazing, and just the right temperature. I don't think I ever want to leave here."

There was a sad smile on her face as she said those words. Perhaps because she knew she couldn't stay. I was a private Dragon. I had grown up with my sisters and more than enough people around, but I preferred my peace and quiet. And she was definitely disrupting that, so why was I so pleased to know that my cave appealed to her?

"But I have to. I have to get back to Lissa."

Lissa? Who is Lissa? It then dawned on me that she must mean Lady Dragomir, and I stood up from my chair.

"Are you crazy! You can't go back. That boy nearly killed you, if you go back he will try again."

She shrugged.

"Maybe, but I still have to go back."

"What could be so important, you would risk your life for?"

She sat down on the coffee table with a large sigh. I had sat back down again after my outburst.

"Lissa. I was training to be her handmaiden, but not just the kind that brushes her hair or does up her dress, although I still have to do that. I was training to be her personal bodyguard disguised as a handmaiden. All Lissa has is me. Her family died two years ago, and now she is the sole heir. One of her father's friends is ruling in her stead now, but she will rule once she turns eighteen. She needs me. I need to protect her that is my duty."

She didn't seem to be particularly glad about this duty, but I could tell she genuinely cared for Lady Dragomir.

"And how are you going to perform this duty if you are dead?"

She simply shrugged again.

"I am sure everything will work out. Lissa will appeal to Jesse. He wouldn't be able to do anything officially and any unofficial stuff I should be able to take care of myself. I should have been able to do that yesterday, but I suppose I failed there. I failed Lissa."

I didn't understand how she could look at yesterday as a failure. She had shown so much strength. I wouldn't just save any human. She needed to realize she was special.

"Why did he do that in the first place? What happened?"

I had a pretty good idea what happened to for him to torture her, but I was curious about the events leading up to it.

She leaned back with her hands on the table staring at the ceiling, looking at the intricate patterns of rock before she finally answered.

"Jesse is a ass, but a rich and Royal ass. Not as rich or as Royal as Lissa, but still he thinks he is something special. And I would have to agree; he definitely isn't like most people. He believes he has a right to whatever he wants and what he wanted yesterday was to boast about the fact he had been with every handmaiden. Except, I hadn't been inclined to aid him in his conquest. I had heard stories from the other girls.

He is a douche, but a pretty douche, and he didn't have much trouble getting some of them to his bed. Some he simply lured with the promise of a good night, although I heard that was highly exaggerated. Others he actually wooed, telling them he loved them and that they were the only ones for him and that he would make them their bride and seeing he was committed anyway, it wouldn't be improper to consummate those agreements beforehand. Of course, when he was done with them he dumped them as fast as he could.

I had been the only one that eluded him. I had no interest in him. I had heard enough from the other girls to stay away from him. He didn't seem to take kindly to that, so he tried to get me alone and force his way to the claim that he had had all the handmaidens.

He has no idea I have been trained since I was a little girl to defend Lissa, so he was easy to take down. I hoped I kicked him hard enough to do some lasting damage. However, Jesse is never alone. His guards were onto me in a second, so I high-tailed it out of there. I ran as fast as I could, but they caught up with me. I took a few of them down, but eventually, they were just too strong. I was just too weak."

I had witnessed the last part, and in no way had she been weak. She had started the story being slightly relaxed and open, but now she was sitting on the edge of the table with her hands in her lap, looking ashamed of her lack of strength.

"Years of training and it wasn't enough. Alberta, the head handmaiden - she is also one of us, a trained guardian - she taught me everything she knew from an early age, but it wasn't enough. My skill wasn't enough."

"There were a lot of guards, no matter how strong you were, you couldn't have beaten them that easily,"I said trying to convince her of her strength.

She got up from the table and threw her hands in the air.

"Well, that is just perfect - because I am sure, that when people come to assassinate Lissa, they'll only send one or two at the time. That way, I actually might have a shot. I need to protect her, Dimitri, be it from one or a hundred assailants. And I couldn't even protect myself."

 _Don't say it, Dimitri. What she is asking is impossible. You need to get her out of here and back to her life and out of yours. Just don't say it._

"I could teach you."

 _Stupid idiot._

She looked at me with gratitude but also skepticism in her eyes.

"You? And what makes you qualified to teach me? What makes you think you have better combat skills than me?"

Almost two-hundred years of training in the Royal Ivashkov Dragon Army, making it to General at the young age of a hundred and eighty, which is barely considered adult in Dragons. The fact that when there isn't a Dragon war to fight, I join human armies to help keep my skills up to standard. But I couldn't actually say any of those things.

"Come on, then. Let's see what you've got, and you can determine if I am worthy enough to teach you."

She tiltled her head to the side and placed her hands on her hips, probably to determine if I was serious.

"Okay, but first lunch!"

I chuckled. She may not be a Dragon, but she certainly ate like one.

We sat down at the table, and I started to dig in. A Dragon's diet mostly consisted of meat. Now we had our own fire, so we mostly cooked the meat before we ate it, even if we plucked it from a nearby pasture with our claws. I rarely ate it rare, but I could enjoy a raw bit of cow every now and then. When I was in my human form, I always cooked the meat; I enjoyed more complex flavors when I was human too. I would season the meat and try different methods of cooking. I also ate other things than meat while in human form, while I rarely did that in Dragon form. But I enjoyed freshly baked bread, and there were a few fruits I didn't mind.

I was ripping off the flesh and skin of a nice juicy chicken-leg and could feel the gravy slid down my throat. I would wipe it off later with a piece of bread. Rose seemed to be enjoying the meat and fruits as well. I saw she had a similar difficulty with the juice from the fruit as I had had with the gravy. I couldn't help but follow the trickle of juice from her lips to her chin, to her neck and down it disappeared into her blouse. She seemed to notice the wayward drop and whipped her mouth with the sleeve of her shirt.

My sisters and I were raised to be proper. My mother especially charged my sisters with being lady-like. I don't think she had particularly succeeded, but Rose's table manners were a far cry from that of my sisters. Now I knew she had been properly instructed and had seen Lady Dragomir eat with perfect table manners on more than one occasion, so it was refreshing to see that this seemed to be the real uninhibited Rose. And I only liked her more.

After lunch, I took her out of the cave. Just outside the cave was a nice flat piece of rock, big enough for my Dragon form, completely secluded from everything. It was on the side of the mountain where no mortal ever came, and down below was a dense forest. But the plateau was high enough not to be shaded by the trees. It was my sundeck. I would lay there in the mornings, warming up my scales. The way the mountain was situated and the way the sun rose and went under made sure the sundeck had sun the majority of the day. I had seen Rose eye it with interest, and if she loved the sun as much as I did, I would imagine she would love this place.

We made it down the stony path to the grass and forest below, the descent a work out in itself. Normally, I would fly back up, but I doubt I would be able to do that now, so we would both have to climb the entire way back up. It wasn't a problem for me. I was well trained and kept up my training even between wars, but I wondered how Rose would do - especially after training with me all afternoon.

I led her to a clearing in the forest. It was covered with grass and would provide her with some padding once I started throwing her around.

I motioned for her to stand in front of me and raised my hands in a defensive posture.

"Show me what you've got."

Now based on what I witnessed with the guards yesterday, she was indeed trained in combat, but could definitely use some polishing. She was a diamond in the rough, and I would take great pleasure in rubbing her until she shined.

Ugh, that sounded dirty… and hot.

She started to attack me, but I easily avoided her punches. She was fast and agile, just like she was supposed to be. But she hadn't utilized it to the fullest of her potential.

She lunged a punch towards my face and it nearly connected. I saw her eyes glow with pride and mischief at her near-success. But it was short lived as I grabbed her wrists, ducked underneath it to twist it around and used the momentum to flip her and land her on her gorgeous, perfect ass.

She groaned, and I stood over her smiling.

"I guess I can still teach you a thing or two."

She got up and swatted down her pants and shirt, clearing the garments from the dirt they had accumulated during the fall.

"Yeah, you are Gods great gift to man. Now tell me how you did that."

I laughed at her expression. Both annoyed at me besting her and eager and excited to learn the move.

"It doesn't matter how strong or big your opponent is; you can always use their momentum against them. Even large men have a need for balance. Disrupt their balance and you disrupt their strength."

She rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms in front of her.

"You sound like a wise Sage. How old are you anyway, a hundred?"

Actually I was two-hundred and forty years old.

"Twenty-four years old, and I do not sound like a Sage. What about you?"

"I am seventeen."

God that was young. Yet she held such age in those eyes. I would have believed it if she was the wise Sage dressed up like a girl. She had so much responsibility at such a young age. As Dragons, you were considered a hatchling at seventeen. Some weren't even able to fly when they were that age. Of course not me, but some. But in human years it was considered almost an adult. Their lifespan was much shorter than ours, and they only had less than a century to do everything they wanted in life. Dragons lived much longer. I was considered a young adult at two-hundred and forty, and most Dragons lived to reach at least a millennia. And don't get me started on my grandmother Yeva. She was ancient.

I suddenly thought about an aging Rose and realized she would probably be dead before I reached my next centennial. The thought sobered me up pretty quickly.

"Let's start with the basics. Grabbing an opponent while he is attacking you means you can utilize his or her momentum against them. "

I motioned for her to attack me in slow motion so I could show her the critical points of the technique.

She attacked, and I took her wrist again.

"Now you twist the arm to the side, breaking the balance. No matter how strong a person is, they have an instinct to protect the bones from breaking, so they will follow you."

I executed a slightly different technique than I did before. I swiped her hand towards the other side, placing her hand toward her back and then tilting it forward.

"Your opponent has no choice but to follow your movements and dive down, or risk breaking the arm. Also if their balance is disrupted, you can move their body freely. They won't have the grounding to stop you."

I titled it forward a little more, and she bent down. I then stepped around her and spun as I kept her arm locked. The momentum of my pivoting was transferred to Rose, and I released her arm by bending it upwards. She went flying head first and rolled a little further.

She groaned again when she came to a standstill.

"Sorry, I can't really do the last part in slow motion."

She looked at me foully, but still got up and squared off against me again. She was one tough cookie, I'll give her that.

After another few rounds of throwing her on the grass and showing her some more general fighting techniques, I called it quits. The sun was starting to set, and we still had to climb the stairs.

"Come on my little warrior, let's head upstairs."

She glared at me for calling her little, but I saw relief on her face that she was done for the day. I must admit she was holding her own and didn't complain… much. I saw real potential in her.

I headed up the rocky path all the way to the top. I noticed Rose was lagging behind a bit, but was doing her best not to let her exertion show. We made it to the sundeck, and I saw her stop for a moment and catch her breath. She closed her eyes as she took a few deep breaths and bathed in the last sunrays of the day.

The sun was almost down, and I felt that slight moment of anxiety all Fire Dragons felt when the sun was no longer visible. The sun consisted of fire, and so did we. We had always had a symbiotic relationship with the sun, but that one moment of the day when it was here one minute and gone the next always had us on edge. Of course, the sun would be back in the morning, and it was an irrational fear, but all Fire Dragons had it. I took a deep breath and released it once the sun had gone down completely. When I looked to Rose, I saw her expression had changed from peace to anxiety as well.

"Come on, let's get inside. Temperatures can plummet pretty quickly here up in the mountains."


	4. Chapter 4

RPOV

We had dinner, and each of us bathed. I was beginning to wonder if he would make me go back to the town. There was only the one bed, and I didn't really need to stay here. But the thought of leaving was making me panic. And I realized it had little to do with the fact the cave was amazing and more to do with its occupant.

I was fidgeting with the last of my food, now that I realized I wouldn't be here much longer.

"You can take the bed. I have a few errands to run and will crash in the library."

My head shot upwards fast.

"You're not making me leave?"

He laughed.

"You want to go?"

I looked down at my hands.

"No, but we both know I can't stay here forever. I don't even feel the wounds on my back anymore. I should go back to Lissa. I have a responsibility to her."

He sighed deeply.

"I know, but wait a few days. I can teach you more techniques in the meanwhile, and that annoying boy has a chance to calm down. I'll take you back to the town myself at the end of the week."

I nodded eagerly. That gave me five days. Five days of living in this fantasy. I hoped that in five days I still wanted to get back to Lissa.

He didn't seem to want me to leave either, and I think the thought made him uncomfortable. We finished our meals in silence and at the earliest time that was not considered rude he stood up from the table and bid me good night.

I walked towards the bedroom and rid myself of my clothes. I crawled into bed and let the exhaustion overtake me as I nestled myself in the plush and soft furs.

The next morning I woke up rather early. I went in search of Dimitri but found no trace of him. I checked the library, but he wasn't there, and it didn't seem the chair was slept in at all. There were no furs or sheets or anything. He did say he had a few errands to run. I wondered what those were.

My mind was running away with possible places he could be. Dead at the bottom of the mountain, drunk in a tavern…drunk in a whorehouse. The last sent shivers down my spine. I mean, I assumed he had been with a woman before. I imagined women threw themselves at him left and right. Hell, I almost did.

I kept walking and entered the living space. The table was set with items for breakfast that hadn't been there last night. So either he did it before he went out last night, after I had gone to sleep, or he had done it this morning. I debated eating first, but I wanted to know if Dimitri was here and where he had slept.

Maybe he was bathing. I had a hard time not giggling. I would love to see a naked and wet Dimitri. I licked my lips as I was tiptoeing towards the domed lake. But when I got there, I didn't see a naked Dimitri.

Sure, the creature was naked. I doubt they made clothes that big. Also, I wondered why a Dragon would need clothes when they had scales.

The Dragon that had saved me was sleeping peacefully beside the lake, his head resting on his claws. I took a good look at him since I had only seen his eyes before I passed out last time.

His scales were a deep brown. His tail was long and wrapped around his body like a cat's tail would. But the tail wasn't fluffy; it had a lethal sharp tip. The tip of his tail was already bigger than my head. The Dragon was huge. I wondered if all Dragons were this big, or if he was considered big amongst Dragons.

I moved closer to him and touched one of his scales. The scale was hard and smooth at the same time. The scale almost felt like velvet, velvet wrapped around steel. His body was warm. I could feel the heat emanating from him, warming the space around him.

I was tracing the scales to his head. I was reaching over to touch his horns when he opened his eyes. He pulled back suddenly, obviously surprised I was there.

He just kept staring at me for the longest time, like he was waiting for something.

"Hi," I waved my hand to him, trying to make him feel comfortable. After all, I was the one that was feeling him up.

"Hello." He said hesitantly.

"What are you doing here, and where is Dimitri?"

He cocked his head to the side, still looking utterly confused.

"Shouldn't you be screaming and running the other way?"

"Why?"

"That is usually what humans do when they see me."

I laughed.

"That is just silly. Why would I fear you?"

And I realized that was what he was looking for. Fear. He had expected me to be afraid, and was waiting for me to scream my head off. Except, it never came.

"So where is Dimitri?"

"He is running some errands this morning. I sometimes crash here when I am around. The cave is big enough."

I looked around and noticed that even if he was a large Dragon, he still fit comfortably in the cave.

"So how do you know Dimitri? Why did you take me to him?"

He narrowed his eyes at me as I climbed on the rock next to him, so we were more face-to-face.

"He and I go way back. He is the only human I can tolerate, barely. I knew you would be safe with him."

He seemed to find something funny as I saw a hint of amusement in his eyes.

"Still not running?"

"Nope," I said popping the P.

"I could crush you with my talon."

"I could stab you in the eye with a fork."

He laughed.

"Fine. Have it your way. Don't be afraid of the giant monster sitting next to you that could swallow you in one go."

"I won't. So why did you save me if you are such a scary monster?"

His eyes widened, and he seemed to be deliberating his answer.

"I don't like Royals like that boy, messing with people. You didn't deserve that."

"Oh."

I kind of hoped he had saved me for me and not because Jesse was being an ass. But I suppose, saved was saved.

"So why… are you not running for the hills? My teeth are literally bigger than your head. Tends to put people off."

He seemed almost insulted I wasn't afraid of him. I understood it. He was an impressive Dragon; I would imagine even Dragons fearing him.

"Other than the fact that you saved me and cared enough to make sure I was taken care of by someone you trusted? I just never feared Dragons. I have always had a guardian Dragon watching over me. I had half expected you to be him when you landed on the stage, but your coloring is different."

He now looked thoroughly confused.

"You have a Dragon watching over you?"

I nodded.

"A black one. I think he is smaller than you, but I was eight when I last saw him, and he seemed pretty big to me at the time, so I am not sure. Are you big compared to other Dragons?"

"I am, but I am more interested in this black Dragon, and if he was watching over you, then why didn't he save you when that boy was having you lashed to death."

A low growl emanated from his chest, and I saw the scales on his chest light up. Like the fire underneath was burning. Also, his reaction told me he might have more reason to save me than just messing with Jesse.

I waved my hand at his question.

"He doesn't watch over me constantly; I am sure he has Dragon things to do. But I have always felt this presence ever since I was little.

My mother put me in Alberta's care when I was four. Alberta assigned me early on to Lissa because we were the same age and we quickly became the best of friends. Lissa didn't realize I was meant to do things _for_ her instead of _with_ her until she was eight. She never realized she was the princess and I the servant. Alberta saw the potential in me and started to train me. She always said I reminded her of my mother. Apparently, my mother has a similar job for a high-ranking lady somewhere else. She had placed me specifically in Alberta's care so that I could follow in her footsteps. But I had always felt abandoned and alone. Most people just stayed away from me. People always looked at me differently, and I don't know why. But I ran away a lot when I was a kid. I would never abandon Lissa, but sometimes I just needed to get away from everybody staring at me and avoiding me. I got in trouble a lot. But whenever I would go out, I felt someone watching over me.

It wasn't until I fell down a cliff and a black Dragon caught me and put me back on solid ground I realized my protector was a Dragon. It was the only time I ever saw him. But I knew that whenever I felt that someone was watching me, I knew the black Dragon was protecting me from the shadows."

The Dragon looked pensive.

"So you believe I wouldn't hurt you because another Dragon is keeping you safe. We aren't all that nice you know."

"No, I believe you wouldn't hurt me because you took the trouble to save me. I just don't fear Dragons on sight because I know they're not all monsters. I tend to judge people on character… and you, Dragon, have passed that test. What is your name?"

He seemed a little alarmed by my question. Maybe it was a rude question to ask a Dragon. He seemed to take a long time to answer.

"You can call me Dimka, the honorable. My full name is too hard for you to pronounce."

A sly smile made its way across my lips.

"Isn't that a little cocky, calling yourself honorable?"

He smiled a little and showed his teeth. He seemed to realize this might be frightening to me and quickly closed his mouth. Oh yeah, a real threat to me you are.

"I didn't give myself that name. When we are hatched, we are named based on our color. I was Dimka the brown. Other Dragons gave me my earned name based on my actions."

I smiled widely.

"So I suppose I was right about you then."

"Yes, Roza, you were right."

I cocked my head in confusion.

"Why do you call me Roza?"

"It is your name in our ancient tongue."

I liked the sound of that. The way the R rolled off of his tongue and resonated in his throat.

He cleared his throat after a few seconds of awkward silence.

"I have to go; I have some breakfast to hunt."

I got up a little panicked, realizing I didn't want him to go.

"Will you be back?"

He smiled, this time unconcerned by the number of teeth he showed.

"I'll be around Roza."

He spread his wings, and I was in awe of the massive wingspan. He took off in the direction of the waterfall and flew out of the cave. I simply stared at him. How could a giant creature like that move as if he weighed nothing? The grace he possessed flying made me wonder why other Dragons hadn't called him Dimka the Graceful.

I headed back into the living area and started eating breakfast. I assumed Dimitri would be joining me at some point and we would be training again, and I didn't want to train on an empty stomach.

About half an hour after I finished my breakfast Dimitri walked into the living area.

"Hey Comrade, where have you been?"

He raised his eyebrow at the nickname. I don't think he was enjoying that one very much.

"Around. You done eating?"

I nodded.

"Good, then let's start training. We have a full day of exercises to do."

"Don't you need to eat?"

"I already ate," he replied.

He must have been up early, or he must have stayed out late. But he seemed well rested, so I was assuming he hadn't spent the night drunk in a whorehouse.

We made the descent to the forest and the clearing and started where we left off yesterday. He demonstrated the technique one more time and let me practice on him, but it wasn't working.

"Pull my arm further out, until I lose my balance point."

I tried again and again, until the last time I saw him bend over a little and stand on his tippy toes.

"That's it, that is where I need to be. Now do the rest."

I swung his arm back, pivoted and turned, but it all failed when I wanted to throw him on the ground.

"You're almost there. Come on let's do some other techniques, and we will come back to that one."

We practiced, kicked and punched all morning. By the time we headed back upstairs for lunch, I was black and blue all over. I groaned the entire way up. He just chuckled, but I saw him rubbing his arm a few times, where I been able to connect a punch. Good.

We were chatting and actually laughing when I stopped dead in my tracks as I saw a gorgeous girl setting the table for lunch. She was slim and pretty and a few inches taller than me. Her long brown hair was laced with streaks of sun-kissed blonde, and her skin was tanned from sun exposure. She turned around and was positively radiating happiness when she saw Dimitri. She didn't even register me, she just launched herself into his arms, and he seemed more than happy to catch her. He spun her around and was laughing the whole time. I felt a pang of jealousy. Is this with whom he spent the night last night?

"Viktoria!"

Her response was muffled, but I saw Dimitri look up in alarm before whispering something to her. She nodded. He put her down and turned her towards me.

"Viktoria, this is Rose. Rose this is Viktoria, my sister."

Sister. This was his sister.

"Hello, it is nice to meet you."

I said holding out my hand for her. She took it and shook it enthusiastically.

"Thank you for treating my wounds."

She looked confused for a moment when Dimitri clarified.

"Actually, that was my older sister Karolina. This is my baby sister Viktoria."

How many sisters did he have?

"Watch out who you are calling a baby. I am one hundred and sixty… uh sixteen years old. I am not a baby."

I saw Dimitri roll his eyes at his sister. This is what I imagined having a sibling would look like. I didn't know if I was jealous of their relationship or was glad I was an only child. Well, I assumed I was an only child. I had no idea who my father was. He might have illegitimate kids running around everywhere.

"Are you here to join us for lunch, Viktoria?"

She nodded.

"Also Dimk… Dimitri thought I might be able to help you with some techniques. I have trained to take down large opponents and use my feminine wiles to take them down."

She had a huge smirk on her face, and her hands were proudly placed on her hips as she held her chest up high. I saw Dimitri roll his eyes again and poke her in the side, making her deflate. She glared at him like only a sister could, but he just chuckled.

"I thought Viktoria could show you some techniques that will utilize your strength and speed to advantage."

"Thank you, that was very considerate."

We settled in for lunch and some easy conversation. I liked Viktoria; she was bubbly and fun. Dimitri didn't seem to be any of those things, and I wondered what his other sisters were like. Yeah, I learned he had one more. Viktoria did look like him though, and I wondered how I could have thought she was anything other than his sister.

"So how did you and my brother meet?" she was asking me with a mouthful, much to Dimitri's dismay.

"I was in a bit of a bind, and your brother helped me out."

I giggled at my own joke. Yeah, I had been literally bound to two posts holding me up to receive the lashes.

"There is this Royal prick back home, that wanted something from me I wasn't willing to give, so I kicked him in the nuts. He wasn't too pleased, and now he pretty much wants me dead. I have to go back to the town, I have responsibilities, but your brother is helping prepare me so I know how to better defend myself."

Her eyes darted from me back to her brother and back to me.

"Why do you have to go back? I mean if he wants you dead?"

"I have a friend that needs me. I am sure she has already straightened out some of the particulars with him, so I am not too worried, but better safe than sorry."

She nodded and stood up with determination.

"I'll help any way I can. So let's go, we don't have a lot of time, and you need to learn how to fight."

I shook my head at her enthusiasm and shared a look with Dimitri. He just sighed deeply. Despite Viktoria only being a year younger than me, she seemed particularly young. The way she acted, it was clear she was the baby in the family. I wondered what it felt like to actually be a child for a change. I don't remember the last time I was able to act my age.


	5. Chapter 5

DPOV

We made it down to the forest again, Viktoria skipping all the way down. She seemed chipper. I am not sure who she was more excited to help, Rose or me. She had been ecstatic when I asked her to help me with Rose's training. It isn't often the highest ranking General asks you for combat advice. And honestly, I think Rose could take her. Viktoria was trained in combat, like all Dragons from our family, but because she was the baby and because she had such a sweet demeanor nobody had really pushed her very hard. But Viktoria and Rose did have a similar body type, well at least when Vika was in human form, and she could show Rose a move or two to expand her repertoire.

That is if she could keep her mouth shut long enough to teach her. The first thing out of her mouth when she came in had almost given me away. She had called me Dimka. For the love of God, I couldn't understand why I couldn't come up with another name this morning. I could have used any other name. My middle name. Christian's name. Really any other name would have sufficed, but it was done. Rose believed the Dragon was called Dimka, so I couldn't have my sister calling my human form Dimka, now could I? Luckily she had said it while she was turned away from Rose, and had spoken it softly against my neck, so I was able to nip that in the bud. But it was a close call.

I wasn't sure why I still kept my true identity a secret after this morning. At first, I didn't want her to be frightened, but she seemed annoyingly relaxed in my true form's presence. I told myself I didn't want her to know to protect other Dragons as well. We were vulnerable in our human form, and although we were still stronger than your average human, it would be a lot easier to kill us when human than Dragon.

But I knew if Rose found out she wouldn't abuse that knowledge. I knew she could be trusted and would never intentionally hurt a Dragon or pass on that knowledge. She seemed to respect us.

All because of the black Dragon. I wondered why he was hanging around. In a sense, I was grateful she had someone looking out for her. But I also disliked the Dragon because he wasn't there when she needed him the most. What did he want? Who was he… or she; I doubt Rose could tell our genders apart in our Dragon form.

I noticed Rose had mentioned people looking at her funny and treating her differently. And in my opinion, she was different. Her fast healing proved it was also on a physical level, but I doubt the town's people were familiar with her healing rate. Maybe it was simply because she looked different? Her skin was a bit darker than what was typical in this region, making me believe she inherited some Middle Eastern traits. Her hair was brown almost black and her eyes a dark brown. She was exquisite and exotic, and people seemed to judge her for it.

But maybe it was more than that. There was definitely something strange about her. Something I had never felt from other humans. Power. She'd displayed so much of it in the town square, and she exuded it from every pore on her skin. She was confident and determined, and perhaps that is what they don't like. She was different and wasn't afraid to own up to it.

But if she had her own personal Dragon guardian, she was special, not just to me, but to someone else as well.

Was she special to me? I was getting in too deep. Another reason I didn't tell her my real identity. What was the point? I would train her to make sure she could defend herself, she deserved that much. And then we would go our separate ways. There was no reason she should know who I am.

But I was beginning to think the real reason I didn't want her to know what I was, was because I didn't want her to reject me. Not fearing a Dragon is something completely different than loving a Dragon.

I stopped dead in my tracks as the thought hit me. Both my sister and Rose turned around at my sudden movement. Yeah, really needed to get her out of my cave, out of my head, and out of my life.

The thought plagued me all afternoon. I was glad Vika was here to take over some training sessions because I was too distracted. Rose was able to flip me a few times with the technique I had been showing her. Now, she was doing it right, because otherwise, she couldn't have flipped the immobile mountain I was at the moment, but I was surprised once I was on my back. I had barely registered the move. She had bested me because I was distracted and I provided hardly any resistance. I should have been pissed at myself, or at her. I should have at least been humiliated that a human had been able to flip me. But all I could think was how cute she looked with the large smile on her face and doing a victory dance. Cute! I was a lethal warrior Dragon. I didn't think anything was cute!

The two girls chatted all the way up to the entrance of the cave, me lagging behind. I noticed how easily Rose was talking with Viktoria and I was pleased to know she got along with my family. Why that was of any importance, I didn't know. It wasn't likely she would meet any of my family. In a few training sessions, we would be done.

I had never loved anybody before. Sure I had my interactions with women, both human and Dragon, only human women never knew the truth, obviously. I had found Rose to be attractive from the start. But that was natural; I wasn't blind. I could appreciate her body and could admire her persona without there being feelings involved. But somewhere between this morning and now, my train of thought had changed from wanting her phsyicially to wanting to love her, and I didn't know why.

 _Because she saw the real you and didn't run._

I shook my head. It didn't matter how I felt, not that I was willing to admit feeling anything yet, but it could never work. For one, she would be dead in a few decades and two, just because I was entertaining the preposterous idea of loving a human didn't mean she would entertain a similar ridiculous idea of loving a Dragon.

Perhaps I was overreacting. She had definitely crawled under my skin, but maybe if I could just have some closure with her, bed her once or twice, this would all go away?

My mother didn't raise me to bed just anyone. She taught me to respect a woman and to treat them right. But I have learned that there are a lot of women out there that are interested in just sex, no strings attached. And as long as you are upfront about your intentions, and there were mutual agreements, I never saw the harm in a simple toss in the hay. God, I hoped Rose was one of those women. I lived up to my name, Dimitri the honorable, and there wasn't a woman, human or Dragon that could dispute that. That being said, I did tend to have relationships more than I did the no strings attached arrangements. Granted the relationships never lasted very long, and I have never had a relationship with a human before, other than an agreement for a few nights. I never felt the need to tie myself to anyone. My father had claimed my mother, even though she had been reluctant, and it hadn't ended well. But unfortunately, claiming is permanent. I wasn't in any hurry to find myself a mate and wondered if I would ever claim anybody. Sure, not many Dragon females were willing to have hatchlings with you if you didn't claim them, but I am sure with my good name, there would be a few who were willing to spend a century or two with me without feeling the need to be claimed. The claiming had made my mother a prisoner, and I wasn't going to put any female through that.

"Dimitri!"

"Huh, what?"

I looked up at my sister and Rose and noticed they both had a curious expression on their faces. Apparently, this wasn't the first time they called my name.

"We asked if you had supplies for dinner so Viktoria could join us. She wants to stay the night if that is alright. She can sleep with me. That way, she can show me some more stuff in the morning."

Actually, that was a great idea. Not just Viktoria taking over some training, but also the staying for dinner. Right now I needed a buffer between Rose and me.

"Sounds like a plan. I'll head into town and gather some supplies."

The more distance, the better.

Although now I was alone with my thoughts again and all I could think about was that Rose would probably bathe before dinner and would be naked as she did so. The images of the other day came back to me as she swam around in the lake. I tried to quell those images by thinking my sister would probably join her in the lake. There was nothing sexual about my sister swimming naked, so I was able to calm myself down long enough to actually transform and head to the nearest town to gather supplies for that evening and breakfast in the morning.

I had filled the satchel on my back with enough food to feed an entire Dragon army, so it should suffice for two Dragons and a very peculiar human. I landed on the sundeck but wasn't ready to go in just yet. I placed the satchel away from me in the little bit of shade there was and just laid down taking in the sun's rays, letting them warm my scales.

It wasn't long before my peace was disturbed and Rose came around the corner.

She seemed surprised to see me, but there was still no fear in her eyes. It would be so much easier if there were.

"Oh, hello again. I didn't mean to disturb you."

She said and was about to walk away.

"Roza, it is alright, why did you come out here?"

I saw her smile at my affectionate name for her before she replied.

"Dimitri's sister is bathing in the lake, and I thought I would utilize the moment of quiet and sit in the sun. She is a lovely girl, but very chatty."

I laughed. Yes, she was.

"There is room for two."

I said as I scooted over a bit. She looked at me with a bit of mischief and then moved further towards me and settled herself against my side.

"You are much more comfortable than the rocks. You mind me using you for support?"

Yes!

"No."

She laid her head on my side and actually snuggled a little closer to me as she closed her eyes and let the sun illuminate her skin. My head was folded on my front claws, so I was almost touching her with my snout. I could feel her breathing on my side and neck. She inhaled deeply, almost like she was smelling me.

"Hmm. You're warm."

I chuckled.

"I am a Dragon. I am fire itself, I am always warm."

She smiled up at me, holding my gaze.

"Can I borrow you in the cold winter? You would make a fantastic bed."

I just stared at her, was she serious and why did the thought of her pressed against me in the dead of winter appeal to me so much. But I let a bit of black smoke escape my nostrils showing my disapproval of suggesting using a proud lethal Dragon as a bed warmer.

"Oh there, there, I was only joking."

Now she was petting me, like a dog! She wasn't making my wounded pride feel any better. Yeah, definitely would have preferred her to be terrified of me. Instead of…this.

She moaned as she slumped a little further down.

"I love the sun like this, hitting your skin, giving it that slightly burned sensation, warming you to the bone."

I grunted in agreement. The sensation was actually different to when the sun was heating my scale or when it was heating my skin. The darkness of my scales meant I would absorb the rays faster. Because of that I almost felt like there was a barrier between me and the sun when I was in human form, cutting off part of my connection with the sun. I still loved it, but these moments in the sun in Dragon form were very precious to me.

A soft snoring alerted me that she had fallen asleep. She looked so peaceful, so innocent. Her hair was tickling my side a bit, but I didn't have the heart to move and risk jostling her.

I think I was almost asleep myself for a much needed afternoon nap when my sister came around the corner.

"Ahh, you look so cute together."

Again with the cute. _I_ didn't do cute!

I merely growled at my sister.

She had never been affected by my growling before, and I assumed by the relaxed way she sat down on a rock in front of me taking in some sunrays herself, she wasn't about to start now.

"I like her", she said as she was looking at the sky.

"Good, I am glad."

She looked over at me and a smirk was plastered on her face.

"You're glad because I am a good judge of character and have made a friend or are you glad I like her because it is important for you that she is liked by your family, so we will approve of her when you take her home?"

I growled again.

"It isn't like that, Vika. Now come and scratch me on my side. I can't reach the spot without waking Rose."

She gave me a pointed look as she scratched me and simply shrugged as she sat down.

"Could have fooled me", she said under her breath as she rolled her eyes.

Now I groaned like a four-year-old.

"I am helping her so that she can take care of herself, after that, I will send her back to the village, and I will probably never see her again."

"Why does she have to go back? Why can't she just stay here? Or she can come to my cave. I don't mind having a roommate I could keep her safe from that cruel Royal."

I smiled a little at the eagerness of my sister. Viktoria was such a nice girl. A little naïve maybe, but a nice girl.

"She has responsibilities. She has a friend she wants to protect. That is why she is training so hard to protect her while keeping those idiot's guards at bay."

"You are not worried she is going to get hurt or worse if she goes back?"

I looked down at my talon. Honestly, I was petrified this boy would retaliate again and that this time I wouldn't be around to help her. But I had seen her determination in wanting to protect Lady Dragomir. She was too wild and stubborn to convince, so I had settled for handing her the tools she needed to have a chance at survival.

"Of course I am, but that isn't my choice to make."

Viktoria didn't seem to understand why I wouldn't just strap her down to keep her here. But I knew Rose would only resent me for it. Rose wouldn't be Rose unless she were free.

"Mamma is going to be so thrilled when she learns of Rose. I am sure she would love to meet her."

All alarm bells were going off.

"You can't tell anyone Vika. Especially Mamma, or Sonya or Adrian. You know what, just don't tell anyone!"

My sister was looking at me shrewdly.

"Why wouldn't you want me to tell anyone? It isn't like anything is going on with her, is there? You are simply helping a human out."

I sighed deeply and used my free talon to rub the scales on my brow.

"They wouldn't understand. To most of them, humans are beneath them. They will wonder why I rescued her in the first place. It… it will just mean a lot of explaining, and I am not in the mood to do so."

She kept that shrewd smile on her face. I wasn't fooling anyone, least of all my sister.

"Sure, sure. I won't say anything about the great General taking time out of his busy life to rescue a human girl. I won't say anything about him helping her heal and train so she could be safe in the future as well. I won't say anything of the sort."

I was beginning to get a headache.

"Good. Then we are in agreement."

It was another half hour of Vika goading me before Rose started to stir.

She had been beautiful when she was asleep, waking up, however, was a different story. She was not particularly attractive when she yawned. Then again, who was? I did appreciate when she stretched her arms over her head, and she was pushing her back hard against my side and pushing her chest forward. It did provide me with a lovely view.

Rose blinked a few times and rubbed her eyes of sleep.

"Is Dimitri back yet with the food? I am starving."

Vika chuckled. She looked over at me and had a wide grin on her face.

"Why don't we head inside? I am sure he will be here any minute."

Vika led a still yawning Rose back into the cave. This gave me time to transform back to human, put my clothes back on and come inside after a few minutes. I didn't want her to get too suspicious.

Rose lit up when she saw me, and for a moment I felt a warm sensation spread from the inside out. That was until I realized she wasn't beaming at me but was excited about the food.

I couldn't help the disappointment leaking onto my face. Rose seemed oblivious, but Viktoria noticed and was giggling.

"Vika, you can start dinner. I will just have a quick bath."

I walked out of there as soon as I could.


	6. Chapter 6

RPOV

I couldn't sleep. It was a waste of a good bed, but I couldn't sleep. Too many things on my mind and too many flailing limbs for me to sleep. Viktoria didn't even quiet down when she was deep in slumber. Granted she wasn't talking but she sounded like she was sawing logs, and her body was flopping around as if she was cutting the damn trees. She was now in starfish formation on the bed. There was a small piece of the bed occupied by me. I suppose I was adopting the Armadillo formation, but still, she wanted my space.

After a few hours of trying to sleep, I gave up. I picked up one of the furs and walked to the library. I saw a bundle of furs on the chair and assumed Dimitri was buried underneath them. He also seemed to favor the Armadillo formation. I couldn't see him at all.

Now I could have put some furs next to the fire in the living room. I could have even made a small bed for me on the bench or on the table, but my body let me in search for a warmer more comfy place to sleep tonight. I just hoped he was staying here tonight.

I walked into the dome and was relieved to see the Dragon sleeping there peacefully. I took my furs and snuggled in his side as I wrapped the furs around me.

He seemed to awaken upon my touch, but I was already drifting off to sleep. The warmth of his body, together with the warmth of the furs and the exhaustion of the day and night putting me right to sleep.

"What are you doing here Roza?"

"Viktoria is a starfish," I mumbled as I fell to sleep next to the obviously confused but chuckling Dragon.

That had been the best sleep of my life. I did have a bit of déjà vu. When I woke up, I smelled that particular scent I had picked up the first time I had woken up in this cave. The manly scent of smoky pine logs. I wondered why I would smell it the cave and in Dimitri's bed. I hadn't yet sniffed Dimitri, but I assumed if the smell had permeated his bed that he would be the source. But now I was wondering what the source was because I smelled it here. I thought it simply was the fireplace smoldering ember giving off the smell, but I remembered the logs were oak, not pine. And it was definitely a pine smell.

"Roza?"

"Hmm?"

I was trying very hard to ignore the start of the day and stay in my very comfortable bed.

"Wake up."

I didn't comply. I should have complied, but I didn't. And I regretted it very soon when Dimka decided to move away and let me fall on my ass on the hard rock.

I got up and started to rub my ass. I glared a little, but he had an amused expression on his face that was a little annoying and a little contagious.

"I thought you were joking yesterday when you said you would use me as a bed."

I grinned widely.

"I didn't use you as a bed; I used you more as a warm blanket, or a hot water bottle."

He sighed deeply and rubbed the scales above his brow with his talon.

"You better get back in your actual bed. It is still early, but if Viktoria finds you gone and learns you slept here half the night she will be intolerable. And what was this about her being a fish?"

I flung my arms up and one leg out.

"That is how she sleeps, like a starfish."

He seemed to be thinking about it for a bit and then started to laugh. A full belly laugh, which sounded much louder from a Dragon than it did a human.

"Well, let's hope she has adopted more of an eel formation now."

He stretched his wings out, and with one push of his wings on the surrounding air he was lifted off the ground, and he flew out of the cave. I vowed I would ride upon his back one day and take to the skies with him.

I took my furs and made my way back to the bed. She was now lying sideways across the bed. It was like her body calculated which position would result in the least efficient use of space and adapted itself to that position.

I decided if you can't beat them join them, and adopted a similar perpendicular position to the bed. The pillows were rearranged all over the place, and I picked up a wayward one, shoved it over her foot and laid my head on top of it. I thought I heard some stirring in the library but was already drifting off to sleep for the second time tonight.

I woke up to a curious Dimitri standing over us watching our peculiar position. I heard him chuckle as he walked away towards the living room.

"Come on. I'll start some breakfast. It looks like you deserve it."

I was quick to dress at the mention of food. I arrived at the table, and he handed me a plate with bread and cold meat to start with.

"Viktoria brought some more dresses for you to try."

I nodded and looked down at what I was wearing, and had been wearing for the last two days. My blouse was filthy with sweat and grass stains. The trousers weren't looking any better.

"I could give these a wash."

I resumed my meal and for good measure spilled some gravy from the meat on the white shirt. Dimitri just chuckled.

"I slept like a baby."

A yawning and stretching Viktoria walked into the living space. She must have woken up from the smell of food. I rolled my eyes at her comment, and I saw a ghost of a smile on Dimitri's face.

"So what is the plan for today?"

"Your brother said you brought some dresses. I thought we could try some of them on, while I get these washed. After that, we can train."

She squealed at such a high pitch I thought the cave might collapse under the resonance of the sound.

"I would love to dress you up. Oh, with your skin tone you would look amazing in gold. Or dark blue or even red. You can totally wear a nice crimson red."

"Wait, what? No fancy dresses. I am a handmaiden. A servant. I only need something to cover me up. Something I can move around in easily."

Preferably where I can hide a lot of weapons.

"Oh, well I am sure I have one of those too if you want to be boring."

So I spent the morning playing dress up doll for Viktoria while my clothes were drying in the sun after I washed them. She had brought a few plain dresses that would easily do, but when I said fine to the first two and claimed to be done, she had practically dragged me back into the alcove. Even if she knew I wouldn't wear them, she still wanted me to try on the colored dresses. I vetoed the pink before she had even put it on and she pouted but obeyed. The gold dress actually looked nice. And if Dimitri's reaction of walking in and dropping the jug of water was any indication, he thought so too.

He had been staring at me for some time before he found his voice.

"You look beautiful."

The gold dress had a bodice cinching in my waist. My shoulders were bare because the sleeves started at the very edge of my shoulder and the V-neck dipped low, showing a good amount of cleavage. The sleeves were long, and the skirt was loose and flowed like liquid gold, but somehow the top made me feel rather exposed.

I blushed at his words and felt a tingle run down my spine. People have told me I was beautiful my whole life. The word always had an underlying meaning, lust, jealousy or distain. But the way Dimitri said it was new. It reached a spot in my heart I didn't know I had.

I held his gaze for a while before I regained the ability to use my vocal cords.

"Thanks, but I doubt I have any occasion to wear it. It would just be a shame to use it while scrubbing the floors."

Dimitri's gaze never left my body. He didn't seem hungry or lusty. Well, he did look those things too, but there was a look of admiration and wonder in his eyes. For the first time in my life, I felt beautiful.

"Take it anyway."

He almost sounded breathless.

Viktoria was done after a few more dresses, and I could finally put on my clothes, that were now dry, and eat some lunch. I ate in silence as I was still a little overwhelmed by my reaction to Dimitri. Why did he affect me so? I kept looking at him but quickly looked down at my plate when he caught my eye, openly ogling him.

I knew I found Dimitri attractive, I mean, how could you not! But at one point in time, I had thought Jesse was attractive too, and I certainly didn't have the reaction I had had this morning for Jesse. So what was it about Dimitri that made those words so powerful? They had resonated in me and unlocked something I didn't even know was there. I wasn't just pleased with the compliment. Somehow being beautiful to him was important to me.

Now that the thought had crossed my mind it was like trying to put a cat back into its cage. It wouldn't go down easy. I realized I didn't just think the man in front of me was attractive, but I also liked him. I like the way he gently smiled my way or the way he would explain a technique in his sage way, or how he stood mesmerized by flames. I felt like I could be myself with him. I felt safe with him.

An image of the Dragon came to mind. I also felt safe with him. Of course, this was logical since he was the one to save me. But it was more than that. I always slept with one eye open in the handmaiden's room. I always told myself it was so I could hear anyone approaching Lissa, but it was more than that. I was always wary of other people. I didn't trust easily. But I trusted the Dragon. I had fallen asleep almost instantly when nestled against his side, not once, but twice. I liked the way he was easy to talk to, and how such a powerful beast could be so gentle. I had loved his laugh even though other people probably found it frightening.

I shifted my gaze back to Dimitri. His hair was out of its leather binding and hung loosely around his face. He had one side tucked behind his ear, but the other side was free. I subconsciously placed one side of my hair behind my ear in an attempt to mirror him. He looked younger like this. I was always amazed that he was only twenty-four years old. Sure his body reflected his young age, and he certainly looked to be in his prime. But there was something in his eyes that told me he wasn't just your average twenty-four year old. He seemed older. Like he had seen so much of this world, had been through so much. Sometimes when I looked into his eyes, he looked ancient.

I wondered what would happen to us when I would go back to the village. Would I ever see him again? Would he want to see me? I shook my head of the thought. I didn't have time to focus on a silly crush. I was here to learn how to better protect Lissa. I wasn't anybody. I was only her protector. Splitting my focus between Lissa and somebody else could be dangerous.

But I did wonder if Dimitri ever thought about something beyond this. I suppose in a few days we would find out.

The training in the afternoon was awkward. Every time Dimitri and I touched, I felt a zing of electricity run down my body. Every touch seemed to mean something more. I was getting paranoid. Sometimes I thought he would let his touch linger a little too long, or stroke me a little bit gentler than the combat situation usually allowed. And when he had pinned me to the ground I must have imagined the longing in his eyes to just stay there with me and never let me go. I needed to get this under control because it was not productive.

After a few hours of punches and kicks loaded with sexual tension, at least from my side, I was ready to call it a day. Dimitri seemed to have the same idea.

"How about we wrap it up for today? Viktoria, you still need to get back home. I am sure Mamma is starting to miss you."

She groaned but complied.

"Fine, I'll gather my things and go. But if you need any help again, Rose, please don't hesitate to call. I would be more than happy to help."

I nodded, although I was not sure if I wanted to do that anytime soon. I liked her, but she was a lot to take in. I think small dosages of Viktoria was better. I saw Dimitri holding in his laughter behind her. He seemed to have guessed the reason for my non-committal answer.

"Will you be okay by yourself for a bit Rose? I'll escort Viktoria over the mountain; she can travel the rest of the way herself."

"Of course, if you are comfortable leaving me alone in your cave unsupervised that is."

I grinned widely, and I saw Dimitri gulp a little.

"Why? Why wouldn't I trust you?" His tone of voice was hesitant and suspicious.

I simply shrugged.

"I could go wandering and uncover all sort of things while you are away you might not want me to find."

The edges of his lips pulled in a small smile.

"If you want to go snooping, Rose, go right ahead. My mother raised me well. I have nothing to hide."

Viktoria seemed to choke on something as she tried to catch her breath. Dimitri turned around to glare at his sister.

Okay, snooping it was.

After Dimitri and Viktoria left, I went in search of goodies and dirt on the knight. There wasn't much in the kitchen except food, and after a quick snack, I headed towards the bedroom. I imagined if he had something to hide he would hide it here. But then again, maybe not. I mean, his sister slept here last night, and I have been sleeping here for the past few days.

The library. He would probably hide embarrassing things in the library. I wondered what I would find embarrassing where Dimitri was concerned. Maybe finding a harp or some women's clothes not in my size? I chuckled at the thought, but didn't actually think I would find anything.

I walked into the library and started to run my finger along some books. I had always heard the knight series were good, so I picked up one of the first ones in the series and flipped it to a random page.

Bla bla… knight fighting bad guys…. Bla bla… knight saving damsel in distress. So far the story had been boring. I flipped over a few more pages and started to read the passage.

 _He traced her velvet skin with his rough, callused hands. His hands traveled from the innocent spot on her foot all the way up to the more forbidden place at her inner thigh. She sighed in approval and grabbed the hand of the knight and moved it closer to her most intimate place. The knight was used to handling cold steel in his hands, but the warm and supple skin of his damsel in distress required more finesse and gentleness than he was used to. But everything with her felt natural. The way her lips molded into his and the way her body formed to his as she pressed hard against him. His throbbing member alerted him to how much this woman was affecting him and if the wetness on the inside of her thigh was any indication she was as ready for him as he was for her. He positioned himself between her thighs and maneuvered the dripping tip at the precipice of her warm and needy folds. The moment he entered her he knew that no battle could ever live up to the feeling of euphoria as he filled her completely. He moved in and out of her, rocking his hips and thrusting deep inside of her. Her hips were meeting him thrust for thrust creating a cacophony of moans, groans, slapping skin and flowing juices. When he neared his peak, his movements increased in speed and desperation. His feverish attempts to prolong her pleasure so she could too climax paid off and they threw their heads back at the same time and lost themselves in euphoria. After he had composed himself, he pulled out, and the evidence of their lovemaking trailed behind his semi-erect member._

Oh, my God. These books had sex scenes. I had heard enough from the other handmaidens to know the mechanics of sex, but reading a detailed account was very different. Quite inspiring, actually. It had left me a little flustered. And Dimitri had a library full of the books.

I picked up another one and skimmed over the pages.

 _His cock was as hard as the steel he could wield so easily as a knight._

 _Her moans echoed through the castle as their coupling became more frantic._

And on and on it went. Sure there were an annoying amount of passages about the knight fighting the bad guys and justice prevailing, but there were some very hot scenes interspersed between these acts of heroism.

Dimitri was quite the pervert. I giggled at the thought. Was he getting turned on when he read these books? Did he imagine he was the knight in these stories? Had he been reading these books when he was sleeping in here? Did he imagine me to be the damsel in distress?

I kept reading, and this time I imagined what it would be like if Dimitri was the knight and I was the damsel. The images the book summoned in my head become much more vivid, and I was starting to get aroused to the point it became painful, but I couldn't put the book down.

I didn't realize how much time had passed as Dimitri came walking in the library. I practically dropped the book when I finally noticed him. I could only imagine what I looked like. My face was flustered, and my breathing had become somewhat erratic. I noticed he was about to ask me something when he took in my heated state, and his words died on his lips.

I decided to cover up my own embarrassment with some Rose bravado. I put the book down, took a deep breath and plastered a sly smile on my face.

"Oh, naughty, naughty Comrade. I guess you did have something to hide. I thought you said your mother raised you well,"I said waving the book in the air.

He looked confused.

"The book is about a knight that deals out justice, I don't understand how that is wrong."

I narrowed my eyes and stared him down. I saw the slight tinge of red in his neck and the twitch in his eyebrow, but other than that his face remained completely passive. If I didn't know what to look for, I wouldn't have thought he was at all embarrassed or knew what I was talking about.

I gave him a defiant look and opened the book and started to read.

"Her moans of pleasure urged him on to move faster, to plunge deeper and to stroke her more rapidly. Her soft moans soon turned into desperate cries, desperate for the release only he could provide. Her body convulsed as he brought her to what she could only assume was heaven. He emptied inside of her as he joined her there and together they rode the waves of pleasure until they landed back on earth…" I slapped the book closed, looking at him defiantly.

"Okay, so there are some descriptions in there of other aspects of a knight's life as well. I heard the stories are based on a real life character, so it is only natural to tell the whole story," He said sounding more and more embarrassed.

I giggled.

"Sure. Sure."

"I only read these books for the adventures he went through. I am not interested in the other stuff."

"Of course not," I said in a tone that clearly contradicted that.

"I don't. Really!"

"I believe you." I patted his shoulder but couldn't hide the devious smile as I clearly thought he would have enjoyed the passages as much as I did. I walked around him to start work on dinner.

"Just wait until I have fallen asleep to read these stories, I don't want to hear your self-induced pleasures while I am in the next room."

"It is not like that,"he practically screamed when I walked away laughing. It was fun pushing his buttons. Who would have thought a strong, virile man like himself was such a prude?

* * *

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.

Normal uploading schedule would be Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday because those are my days off, I might be able to squeeze in an extra update in on Wednesday, because of the holidays.


	7. Chapter 7

DPOV

I stood there fuming as she walked around the corner. How could this infuriating, frustrating girl get under my skin so much? I'll tell you; she keeps petting me like I am a dog or a child. Granted she doesn't know the other time it was me as well, but still, it pissed me off. Because all the power and pride I held inside of me crumbled before her feet.

I admitted defeat and started to walk towards the eating area.

I saw Rose was busy trying to cook something. She looked so natural in there. Not because she knew what she was doing. God no. I saw her make several mistakes in as many seconds that would render the food she was making barely eatable. I wondered how she made it as a handmaiden. Lissa must really love her or she was put on other duties than cooking. But despite the fact Rose shouldn't be in any kitchen, she looked natural in mine, because it felt like she had always been there and will always be there. This playing house with her has got to stop.

She will be gone in a few days. I told myself it couldn't cause any harm to enjoy the last few moment we had together. So I joined her in the kitchen and hoped I could salvage a little of the food she had prepared.

The day she had to leave I had woken up early and had stared at her for what felt like hours, just watching her sleep. I brushed some hair out of her face as her chest heaved up and down with the slow, steady rhythm of her breathing.

How could such a small package have affected me so much? How could a human have wormed her way into my heart so quickly? I realized I didn't want to let her go. If I had my way, I would keep her here forever. She seemed to like it here too. And perhaps if Lady Dragomir wasn't in the picture, and I wasn't a fucking Dragon, it would have worked. But I knew it was for the best to let her go. I did all I could in those five days to train her and show her how to deal with Jesse and the guards and any future threats to Lady Dragomir.

It was time to let her go and let her live the life that she'd fought so hard for.

She started to stir, and I hightailed it out of there. I didn't want her to know I had been staring at her like some creep.

I was preparing breakfast when she came in wearing one of the plain dresses Viktoria had brought. It wasn't like the dress looked bad on her. On the contrary, she could make any garment look good, but the fact she wasn't wearing her blouse and trousers was a stark reminder we wouldn't train today because she would be leaving. So I took offense to the blasted garment for reminding me.

We ate our breakfast in silence.

After that she packed up her meager belongings, the dresses Viktoria had brought, including the gold one and came out of my bedroom.

"All ready to go."

She didn't seem any happier about it than I was.

"You don't have to go."

I told her and was practically slapping myself for it. This was the plan. You saved her; you helped her in defending herself. She should get back to her life and honestly so should you.

I saw she was pleased I asked her to stay, but sadly she shook her head.

"I have to go. Lissa needs me. I have been gone long enough."

I was glad she said she 'had' to go and not that she 'wanted' to go. But was a little peeved she was placing this Royal human above me. Above all else. I had seen her be this vibrant, strong woman and now she would return to the shadow of someone else. She deserved so much better.

"We should head out then. It is at least three hours walk back to the town."

Normally, people would ride those distances. But I didn't own any horses. Not that I didn't try, but horses weren't stupid, they could smell what we really were and knew that if we weren't riding them, we'd probably be eating them. I do love a good horse leg. So walking it was.

"You don't have to come with me. I think I know the way," she said.

"I want to," I wanted to prolong the goodbye as long as I could.

"Is the Dragon sleeping in the cave this morning? I would like to say goodbye."

I flinched. Just one more reason it was good she was going home.

"I haven't seen him, but I can give him a message if you want."

A peculiar smiled came across her face, and I could only determine it was endearment reflected in her eyes. Endearment towards the Dragon, towards me.

"Just… just thank him for saving me and making sure I was alright."

I nodded.

"Oh and if he is ever in the neighborhood in the winter, I could use a nice bed warmer."

That cheeky girl, but I smiled in spite of myself.

"I'll tell him."

With a heavy sigh, she packed up her bag and started to walk towards the exit.

Neither of us knew what to say to each other during the road there. Over the last few days the conversation flowed easily and naturally, but now we were both at a loss for words. I didn't know what to say. Now that wasn't true. I knew what to say; I just didn't have the courage to say it.

With my enhanced eyesight even when human I spotted the town before she did. I subconsciously started to walk a little slower. Anything to buy one more minute, one more second with her.

We stopped at the edge of town. This was goodbye. She seemed to understand this too.

"Well, I suppose I should head back in, see if anybody still remembers me?"

"Who could ever forget you?"

My hand moved on its own, and before I could stop it, my hand had cupped her cheek. She leaned into it and looked at me with big brown eyes, pleading me to make a move. But I couldn't.

It took all my strength to drop the hand back to my side and away from her skin.

But whatever strength my hand had possessed it hadn't transferred to my mind and mouth.

"If you want you can come by the cave on occasion. There are still lots of things I can teach you."

I knew as soon as the words had left my mouth that this is the moment I would remember my entire life. This would be the moment I would remember on my deathbed as the turning point in my life. But whether it would lead to bliss or regret only the Gods knew.

But the sparkle in her eyes told me I made the right decision.

"I would like that."

She sounded a little breathless and realized that she sounded like she just agreed to be my concubine, so she covered it up with some typical Rose bravado.

"I mean, it would benefit my position in protecting Lissa, so I would be grateful for any guidance."

"Sure."

"So I guess this is goodbye for now." She sounded a lot happier than she was a minute ago. A minute ago it had seemed like a farewell, and neither of us seemed to be able to accept that. But being away from each other for a few days or weeks seemed more doable.

"Goodbye Rose. See you in a while."

"See you later Comrade. Don't read too many dirty books."

She winked as she turned around and started to walk towards the town's gates.

She had taken a few steps when I heard her say 'Oh hell.' She dropped her bag, turned around and ran up to me closing the difference of a few paces between us in record time. She threw herself at me, and I had no choice but to catch her. But I didn't mind because the moment I had her securely in my arms, she pressed her lips to mine in a searing kiss.

I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her closer as she put her arms around my neck. One staying there for support, the other traveling to my hair. Her soft lips opened up in invitation, and I greedily took it. I licked her bottom lip and explored her tongue with my own. She tasted amazing, like Jasmine and fruit. Okay so maybe the fruit was from this morning's breakfast. The kiss started out timid, she had given me access but seemed uncertain what to do, but after I showed her what a searing kiss meant, she reciprocated and started to tangle her tongue with mine, battling for dominance. She pressed herself closer to me if possible and lifted my head down by pushing on my neck.

With every stroke of my tongue, she seemed to gain more confidence to take from me what she wanted. And at that moment I would have given her anything.

She pulled back suddenly, and I was confused until I noticed her ragged breathing. I noticed I had a similar breathing pattern, and was trying hard to bring it back to normal.

Her forehead was resting against mine; her hands were on my chest. She just stood still for a moment as if committing me to memory. She pulled back out of my arms and took a few steps towards her bag.

"See you around Comrade."

And with the biggest grin on her face, she turned around and heading in the direction of the town's gates once again.

I think I stood there watching the gates for at least an hour after she had disappeared from sight.

I reconsidered my earlier thought. This was the moment I would think back on, on my deathbed. The moment my heart no longer belonged to myself but now belonged to a human girl.

Then I realized I would probably die about seven or eight centuries after she was long dust.

I didn't want to go back to the cave. It felt strangely empty without her, so I transformed into my true form and took to the skies. Viktoria had said Mamma was getting a little impatient and had been whining I wasn't visiting. So I thought it would be nice to see the family. I can't believe how desperate I was to get away from Rose and reminders of her that I was actually choosing to visit my family. I liked my Mother, and even though she still babied me from time to time, she was my mother. Viktoria was the only annoying sister, the other two I could tolerate, especially Karolina. It was my cousin I was dreading. I assume Viktoria's mouth had run away from her and he would have learned of Rose. I wasn't looking forward to this.

I let the small breeze flow beneath my wings as I hoped the wind would take all these wayward thoughts about Rose. But of course, the wind was mocking me. The whole way to my mother's residence, her red, swollen lips kept popping into my head along with those dark brown eyes wanting so much more.

I arrived at my mother's in the late afternoon. Unfortunately, my mother had taken up residence in the palace from the moment she was claimed by my father. So entering her home meant going through guards and gates, and by the time I reached my mother's chambers, the whole palace had known that General Dimitri, the Honorable, had returned.

My mother gave me a hug when she saw me and slapped me playfully on my breastplate.

"You would let you poor mother worry about her only son like that? I haven't heard from you in weeks."

I rolled my eyes. Viktoria had probably told Mamma I was fine. But she loved rubbing it in. Also I had on occasion said I was fine while communicating to her directly. I just didn't allow my family free rain in my head all the time. That would make me crazy.

"I missed you too, Mamma."

I first had to endure questions from my mother about how I have been, if I have been eating properly and sleeping enough. But I was glad to know she wasn't asking any questions about Rose. That meant at least Viktoria hadn't told my mother. I just hoped she hadn't told anyone else.

But as the door to my mother's living room opened and my best friend and my annoying cousin, who on a good day I could barely tolerate, walked in with big grins on their faces, I knew Viktoria had spilled the beans.

Christian and Adrian practically dragged me out of my mother's chambers. She didn't help me or try to stop them. She just waved at me.

"Don't hurt him too much," she yelled at us.

They dragged me to Adrian's chambers, sat me down on a rock and poured themselves some ale.

They sat across from me and looked at each other before looking at me. I didn't like the way they were conspiring together. Christian and Adrian tolerated each other, mostly because they were both associated with me. They understood they traveled in some of the same circles, and reluctantly accepted each other's presence. So, them actually teaming up on me, had me scared.

"So?" they both asked simultaneously.

"So?"

"So, I heard an interesting tidbit of gossip from your youngest sister."

I groaned. She didn't. Having told Christian is one thing, but Adrian? I was doomed.

"What did you hear?"

I asked as I was looking at them over the edge of my mug filled with strong Ale. I wasn't much of a drinker but decided I really didn't want to be sober for this.

"That you had a human in your bed for about a week and it wasn't just a fuck either."

I rolled my eyes. Gossip tends to exaggerate everything. It was like it had a mind of its own and always has this desperate need to evolve into something much worse.

"That is not what happened at all. For one, I didn't sleep with her. Some Royal human prick had her flogged for kicking him in the balls after he tried to force himself on her. She was publically flogged, and he would have killed her. I saved her. I had Karolina tend to her wounds and showed her how to better defend herself in the future. She is back in her hometown now, and I doubt I will ever see her again."

Christian seemed to take me at my word, but Adrian looked at me shrewdly. Adrian was useless in battle, which is a big deal for Dragons, but he made up for it in being charming and diplomatic. He could read people particularly well and could convince anybody of anything. The man was dangerous, even if I could take him out in a second.

"Does she know you are a Dragon?"

"No. She thinks the Dragon and my human form are two different people."

"No doubt, she would probably run at the first sign of the real you," Christian said, but he couldn't be more wrong.

Christian was one of my closest friends if I actually had any. I have always kept a distance between me and other people since I lost my best friend Ivan in a battle with the Snow Dragons a few decades back. But if anybody came close to being called a friend by me, it would be Christian. He was lean for a battle Dragon and didn't possess the brute strength most of us did, but his flame was strong and his will to battle matched it. I have seen his flame even crisp a Fire Dragon - and we are made of fire. He had earned his respect in battle by being a great warrior, even if his actual fighting skills fell short of the rest of us. But he was always eager to learn and had made sure he learned where he could.

"She saw me, and she didn't run. She didn't scream; she didn't faint. She just stood there saying that fearing me was silly."

"Really?"

I nodded.

"She petted me after she hurt my pride by calling me a bed warmer."

Adrian raised his head.

"Oh, and here I thought you hadn't slept with her."

"I haven't. Not like that. But she had been sleeping next to me for an afternoon nap and commented on how warm I was. So she asked if she could borrow me as a bed warmer in winter."

Christian and Adrian looked at each other, and both burst into laughter at the same time.

"So this girl asks the great General Dimitri, one of the largest and most feared Dragons anywhere, to lend his body as a glorified heated bottle and you don't kill her, maim her or otherwise punish her? Oh, you have it bad."

"It wasn't like that, she was joking. I found it funny." And incredibly annoying and probably a little cute.

Again the two men looked at each other, but the humor was gone and replaced by a serious glare.

"She sounds like a lovely girl, but you know this can never work."

I nodded. I knew all the reasons they were going to list. I had told myself the same thing over and over again, but somehow Rose, my Roza had made herself a permanent resident in my head and heart.

"Dimitri, please tell me whatever this was with the human girl it is over. Having a fuck with a human now and then because Dragon females have all conspired against you over one little thing that had been blown way out of proportion and were unfairly claiming united celibacy, is one thing. But I can see you falling for this girl, and that is bad."

I chuckled. I remember those few months when Adrian had been very lonely because he had messed with the wrong girl. Her revenge had been brilliant.

"If she finds out about us, we could all be exposed. Besides, in ten years, she will look older than you. In thirty, people will think you are her son, and in six decades, she will be dust and you will have another few centuries to go. You can't claim a human, Dimitri. For God sakes, we eat them for breakfast."

I scoffed at that. Technically you could claim a human. And we hadn't been eating humans for centuries. I had never had one. Sure if they would cross me I would kill them, but I wouldn't eat them. Humans deserved better than to be treated like cattle. Some just barely. Also, I remember somewhere in my grandmother's books there were spells and objects to prolong a human's life. I dismissed the thought. Whatever this was with Rose, Adrian was right; it needed to end.

Adrian shook his head but fell backward in his seat.

"That I would live to see the day Dimitri the Honorable had the ice around his heart thawed. And who would ever have guessed it was by a human."

After a long debate with my male companions, I returned to my own quarters here at the palace. I was trying to find a bit of alone time, but apparently, that was too much to ask.

Christian and Adrian weren't the only ones who wanted to know about Rose. Karolina had seen her and had treated her wounds. She asked about her and showed general interest. To Christian and Adrian, Rose was just human. To Karolina, she was a person worth treating and worth saving. Of course, Karolina worked with humans a lot more than most of us. She worked in villages around the palace treating anybody that needed medical attention.

"Those wounds were deep; I hoped they were at least closed when you dropped her off? Did you give her some extra leaves so she could treat herself? I hope they don't scar too much. Maybe you shouldn't have let her go so soon. I could have helped her heal a bit better."

"Karolina, I didn't reapply the leaves after the first day."

My sister seemed outraged.

"I specifically instructed you to keep the leaves on until the wounds closed, preferably until they were healed. How could you be so reckless? How could you save her one minute and then just so blatantly disregard her health and send her off marred for the rest of her life?"

I rolled my eyes. All my sisters had a flair for the dramatic, although Karolina was usually the most rational one.

"Karo, I did keep the leaves on until the wound was healed. When I was changing them in the morning, the wounds were gone."

Karolina stopped waving her finger at me and simply stared.

"What?"

"She healed within a day."

"That isn't possible for a human."

"I know."


	8. Chapter 8

RPOV

I walked away from Dimitri fully determined to make it back to town and back to Lissa. But at the gates, I stopped. I knew what was waiting for me on the other side. People looking down on me with contempt. I would live my life in servitude to Lissa. I loved Lissa. I would die for Lissa. But I couldn't help shake this feeling like I had to choose between Lissa and Dimitri. Lissa has been my oldest friend, but what I had with Dimitri was also very special.

I still felt the tingle on my lips that Dimitri had left behind. I can't believe I kissed him. I can't believe he kissed me back. I now had an answer to the question if he liked me too, but now I was asking myself different questions. Where did we stand? Did we have a future? Can I even be with anybody when I was supposed to protect Lissa?

The kiss had left me with many more questions than answers, but I wasn't regretting it. That had been the singular most amazing moment of my life and I couldn't keep smiling.

I looked down at my foot which was on the threshold of the town border. One more step and I would be back to my old life. And isn't that what I trained for these past few days? Isn't that what I am still going to see Dimitri for? So I could be better at protecting Lissa?

I briefly wonder what my life would look like if I didn't return to Lissa but instead walked back to Dimitri right now. But I shook my head. I could never abandon Lissa. Besides, this wasn't goodbye. I would still see Dimitri and hopefully the Dragon too. He too had become such an important part of my life in these past few days. I certainly had a physical attraction to Dimitri, but I was surprised to see how comfortable I was around the Dragon. If only I could fuse those two together, they would be the perfect guy.

I moved my foot and placed it over the threshold, and it was done. I had made my decision. That had been the single most difficult step I had to make in my life, but it was done now.

Of course, I regretted the decision as I moved across the town and saw the looks on people faces. Some in clear shock I hadn't been eaten by the Dragon. Some thinking I was insane coming back here after what Jesse did. And others who looked like they were wishing the Dragon had eaten me.

The guards at the palace doors looked at me a bit funny but didn't stop me from entering. I did see one leaving his post, presumably to tell Jesse I had come back. But it didn't bother me. I was heading towards Lissa, and I knew if I protected her physically, Lissa would protect me politically. Also, I felt more confident I could take them on now. I knew Dimitri could still teach me many more things, and I was thoroughly looking forward to him instructing me, but he had done a great job in a short amount of time.

I had to giggle when I thought of all the other things Dimitri could educate me in - although I'd learned a lot from those books as well.

I made my way to Lissa's private chambers and stepped inside. Again the guards at the door didn't stop me, they just stared.

I saw Lissa was sitting in her reading chair near the fire. Alberta was there covertly protecting her, but to everyone else she looked like she was mending some clothes.

The moment she saw me, Lissa dropped her book and ran over to me. She engulfed me in a hug and practically squeezed the life out of me.

"Oh my God Rose, I thought you were dead. When the Dragon took you, I was sure he had eaten you."

I pulled back and just started laughing.

"Why would he save me to eat me?"

"He saved you?"

I nodded.

"Apparently he has an allergy towards Royal pricks beating up women."

She seemed to mull that over in her head. In one sentence her whole view of the Dragon race shifted. She knew I thought my secret protector was a Dragon. She just always told me I was crazy. She had what was probably a healthy fear for Dragons. But now I was telling her, at least one of them was a better person than a human.

"So what happened? Where have you been for the last few days?"

"The Dragon took me to a knight he trusted, and he treated my wounds. Well technically his sister did, but he took care of me."

There must have been something in the way I said it because Lissa's brow lifted at the mention of the knight, but she seemed to file that away for later as all of a sudden she looked concerned.

"How bad is it?"

"What?"

At first, I thought she was asking how bad my crush on the knight was, but as she turned me around and started to trace my back, I understood she meant the wounds on my back.

"I don't feel them at all. Dimitri's sister put some goo with leaves on, and it seemed to help."

Apparently, that didn't satisfy her enough as she undid the laces on the back of my dress and revealed my bare back.

She gasped.

"Oh, that bad? I swear I am going to kill Jesse for making me hideous."

"No Rose, the wounds are gone. Not a trace of them, no scars, no nothing. Like it never happened."

I tried looking at my back, but I just kept walking in circles like a dog chasing its tail. Lissa rolled her eyes and handed me a small hand-mirror and instructed me to walk to her large standing mirror. I was able to see my back like this, and she was right. Nothing but smooth, tan skin.

"Well, that must have been some medicine."

Lissa looked skeptical, but she let it go for now.

"So tell me all about…"

"Where is she?"

The door opened with a loud bang, and a red-faced Lord Zeklos came walking in.

"You…"

He was trembling with rage. But an ever calm Lissa stepped in front of me and plastered a kind smile on her face.

"Can I be of some assistance Lord Zeklos?"

"You can hand that bitch over to me. What she did was inexcusable."

Lissa took a step back as Jesse was practically spitting on her. She, very calmly, took a handkerchief from her dress pocket and gently wiped the spit off her face.

"I agree, Lord Zeklos, and she has been punished. I assumed the absurd amount of lashes would have satiated your need for punishment."

"Hardly."

"Unfortunately, Lord Zeklos, that is not my concern. Your quarrel with my handmaiden has been settled according to our law, and I would ask you to refrain from any further attempts for additional punishment seeing as I will find it a personal offense against me. Furthermore, in the future I would like to remind you, you need to request an audience with me through the proper channels if you wish to enter my private chambers. Good day Lord Zeklos."

Lissa turned her back to Jesse, and he looked ready to blow. But Lissa outranked him, and a fight with her could harm his political career. So reluctantly he bowed and exited the room. Lissa let out a breath of relief once he had vacated the room.

"You are a lot of trouble Rosemarie Hathaway. A lot of trouble. Now tell me about this knight of yours."

We talked all through the night, and I told her everything. About Dimitri, about the Dragon, about the training and lastly about the kiss. Lissa had assured me she could find some free time for me to visit the knight. It was nice talking to her like this. Lissa and I were rarely on equal grounds, but now sitting here on her bed, my knees crossed and sitting with Lissa sideways across the bed, we were equal. Two girls, talking about boys.

It was early in the morning when I woke up. Although I had slept in Lissa's bed last night because she refused to let me out of her sight, it still wasn't as comfortable as Dimitri's bed had been, or the Dragon for that matter. Strange seeing as Lissa had the best of the best of everything.

I decided to make myself useful and started the fire in her living quarters.

Whoever had been making the fire the last few days, had done a terrible job. There were half burned logs and no residual embers from last night, so it took me a while to get the fire going again.

I had always been a pyromaniac as Alberta calls it. So from early on, it had been my task to get the fires started in the morning. And no matter how damp the wood was, or how drafty the house, I could always start a fire.

When the fire was finally lit, I felt myself relax a little. I stared into the fire, watching the mesmerizing dance of the flames across the logs. I inhaled the fresh scent of burned wood, and the fire seemed to move towards me. I exhaled, and the fire burned a little brighter. It was like I was connected to the fire. I didn't know if the fire was fueling me or I was fueling the fire, but somehow I felt the essence of the fire permeating my entire being. I felt lost in the flames. I was stretching my hands towards it. I needed to be closer, to feel its warmth on my skin, making me burn.

"Rosemarie!"

My mother's voice pulled me out of my trance, and she looked aghast. There was definite fear in her eyes.

She pulled my hands away from the fire and stared down at my wrists. I saw markings all over my wrists and ankles, and I saw my mother staring at my neck, so I assumed I had a similar markings there.

The markings looked beautiful. They wrapped around my limbs like a ribbon and consisted of weird symbols. I couldn't determine if they were meant to be representations of something or if it was some kind of language, but they were beautiful. They glowed a bright ember red and orange. They didn't hurt, per se. But I felt strangely trapped in them.

"Rosemarie, Rose!"

My mother led me further away from the fire and just kept looking at me trying to make contact.

"Mom, what are you doing here?"

And like that, the markings were gone. But I didn't care about them right now. I cared about my mother standing before me. I hadn't seen her in two years, and only a handful of times before that after she had dropped me off with Alberta when I was four.

I withdrew my hands from her, perhaps a little forcefully.

"Alberta sent word about your disappearance and then your return."

I had been back less than a day.

"Where have you been staying, that you got here so quickly."

"I have been guarding a Duchess a few towns over."

She didn't seem to understand how the information might be important to me.

"For how long?" My voice was raising an octave with each word I uttered.

"For years now."

Her tone didn't seem to reflect, shame or sorry or anything you might expect from a mother that you hadn't seen in years but had been only a few hours on horseback away. In my mind, she was half-way around the world protecting some important princess that needed her more than I did, and that it would be too far to travel to see me. At least that is the fantasy I had created in my mind. It was the only thing I could think of that would somewhat justify a mother leaving her child. But the truth is, she had been able to see me for years, she just hadn't.

Makes you wonder why this visit was so special?

I had been on death's door before. I had had a strange sickness when I was nine and it almost killed me. The doctors couldn't figure out what it had been and had told Lissa and Alberta I was likely to die. They told them it looked like a strange variant of smallpox, but no one else in the palace had gotten sick. She hadn't even made it out then. So why was she here now?

I had been staring at her for a while before I finally found my voice again.

"For years! You have been so close by for years, and didn't bother to come visit me every once in a while? It had to take me almost being killed for you to see me?"

"The Dragon almost killed you?"

She seemed outraged at that.

"No, the Dragon saved me. It was Lord dipshit that decided I needed to be punished and flogged within an inch of my life."

My mother looked confused.

Alberta stepped inside of the living quarters and stared at the both of us.

"Why don't I take Lady Dragomir down for some breakfast today? It is good for her to mingle in the crowd sometimes. Janine, good to see you again."

My mother inclined her head towards Alberta and bowed towards Lissa as she passed her by. Lissa gave me an apologetic look but had no choice but to follow Alberta.

"Okay, start from the beginning."

So I told her about Jesse and how he tried to force himself on me. I told her about the Dragon saving me and taking me to Dimitri. My mother had a peculiar look on her face when I mentioned Dimka taking me to Dimitri. I felt like I was missing something here.

"Honestly, Rosemarie, antagonizing a Royal like that, you should have known better."

I raised my hands in the air out of frustration. Even when I didn't do anything wrong, she was still blaming me for stuff.

"So I should have just let him have his way with me and lay there?"

"Of course not, but there must have been another way out of it than kicking him in the balls. Men tend to take that personally."

I scoffed at her words.

"Balls or not, he would have taken it personally anyway. He didn't like the fact I kept rejecting him and me refusing him that day meant his precious male ego was hurt. He would have retaliated no matter what I did."

I saw she was conceding on that one.

"And this Dimitri? Are you going to see him again? I don't like it, Rosemarie. I don't want to you to see him anymore. I don't trust him."

I got up angry.

"Well, I do. _He_ has been there when I needed him. _He_ took the time to get to know me and teach me things. _He_ bothered to make me feel like I was more than something you left at the doorstep of an old friend when you couldn't handle the shame of not having my father in your life."

The last one got a reaction from her, and her eyes narrowed dangerously at me.

"You don't know what you are talking about Rose. But I am your mother, and I forbid you to have anything to with that Dragon or his _friend._ Dragons are dangerous."

"No, they are not. Dimka saved me a week ago, and there has been a Dragon watching over me my entire life."

She visibly recoiled from shock from my last statement.

"What do you mean?"

"I have always felt like someone was watching over me, ever since I was a little girl. When I was eight, I fell off a cliff and a black Dragon swooped me up before I could hit the rocks below. Ever since then, I knew it was him that was watching over me."

She just sat there and blinked. She didn't move, she barely breathed, she just blinked.

I was about to call the doctor when her eyes refocused on me, and she seemed to have regained her voice and unfortunately also her attitude.

"Just because there are some of them that helped you, doesn't mean you can trust them or any other Dragon. Stay away from them, Rose, and this Dimitri too. I don't trust him. You don't know anything about him. Who lives in a cave? What does he do for a living? And he is too old for you anyway."

"He is twenty-four years old. He isn't that old."

Her eyes narrowed again.

"I forbid it, Rose. You hear me? I forbid you to see this man again."

I scoffed at that.

"Well, luckily for me, you don't have a say in anything I do. You would actually have to be around to be able to tell me what I can and can't do. Now if you will excuse me, I have to return to my charge, and I am sure you have to as well. They seem like they can't survive without you for long."

I left a shell-shocked Janine in the doorway. And just before I was out the door she spoke again.

"Please Rose. Don't tell anyone about the markings. I know I have made a lot of mistakes as your mother, but trust me on this one. I beg of you, don't tell or show anyone these markings."

In my rage, I had nearly forgotten about the markings. I wanted to ask her what she knew of them. But that would mean I would have to talk to her like a human being. But my pride wouldn't let me. I hadn't needed my mother for anything in the last few years, and I wouldn't start now. I would find out about these markings on my own.

So instead of wanting to ask what was wrong with me and why I have these weird things keep happening to me, I walked away.


	9. Chapter 9

DPOV

Visiting my mother was nice. I enjoyed some of her home-cooking, and we talked about general chit-chat. How certain things were going here and some general gossip of the other Royals living here.

Apparently, Lady Conta had been rather busy with stealing jewels from the Queen.

Personally, I couldn't care less about who stole something from who, but if my mother found it newsworthy, I would listen.

"Your Aunt Tatiana wanted to see you while you were here."

I sighed.

"If she wanted to see me that badly, she could have asked for me herself."

Now it was my mother's turn to sigh.

"She likes you, you know. Despite… everything."

"Mom, I don't care how things turned out. In fact, I am grateful. But all Tatiana wants to know is how her troops are doing. If they are ready for a war and if she can stay on her ass while I am out fighting it."

"Dimka! You can't talk about her like that. She is still your Queen."

I leaned back on my haunches and tried to still my tail, but every time the topic of my Great Aunt Tatiana came up, it seemed to move on its own accord out of agitation.

"A Queen that wants to know the status of her army every five minutes. I had a security briefing only two weeks ago. I have no new intel. Our Dragon warriors are the best, so I am not sure what she wants to know."

My mother went back into the kitchen and started to cure some beef. She tended to do that when she was worried or agitated. I knew my mother wanted me to bond with _that_ side of the family. Hanging out with Adrian had sort of been my peace offering in that direction. A decision I still regretted to this day, so I wasn't looking forward to spending time with my dear Aunty outside of what was strictly necessary.

"So, you'll go back to that cave of yours and leave your poor old mother here without her son again."

I rolled my eyes.

"I thought you had your hands full with Sonya at the moment?"

My sister's egg was a few months from hatching, and still, nobody knew who the father was. The fact she was expecting a hatchling without being claimed didn't surprise me, but not outing the father had us all baffled. But my older sister Karolina already had two children without being claimed so by now people were used to it. They barely looked at us.

Sonya's despise of the claiming ritual exceeded my own. She had always been a free spirit, and the thought of being bound to any man was unacceptable to her. She said if our father could fall out of love with our mother and do those things to her, so could anyone else. You never knew if something was forever.

I used to agree. You never knew what the future brings. My mother assured me that our father had loved her once. He just changed too much over the years. If it was possible to fall in love with someone, it was also possible to fall out of love with someone.

But as my mind filled with images of an exotic human girl, I knew there was also that one and true love that could last forever.

As if reading my mind, my mother turned towards me and started the interrogation I had expected the moment I arrived here a few days ago.

"I am never too busy to make time for my son. Like, say when he wants to talk about a certain human girl?"

I groaned. Great, not her, too. How was I even to answer that?

"I don't know what to say about her Mamma? I don't know how I feel myself."

"Yes, you do. You are just too stubborn to admit it to yourself."

I got up angry. Not angry at my mother, but angry she knew me so well.

"And what if I did admit it, Mamma? Where would that lead me? I'll tell you, nowhere. There is no future between me and Rose."

 _No matter how much I might want there to be._

"It might be a short life together, but it is better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all. Besides Babushka could help."

I chuckled. I now knew what Rose meant with Sage wisdom. I suppose I got that part from my mother. And I would sooner sell my soul to the devil then ask my grandmother, because well, she would ask for more than the devil would.

"She wouldn't be able to live in her world anymore, but she also wouldn't be able to live in mine. And I know she will never leave her friend behind. No, Mamma. It is best I get over whatever it is I am feeling."

She stood up and placed a claw on my shoulders.

"I never met the girl. All I know is that for the first time in decades after Ivan's death you are smiling again. Just know that she will be accepted here, even if she isn't anywhere else."

I smiled softly at my mother. She always knew just what to say, but I couldn't do that to Rose. She deserved so much more than what I could give her. We would have to live in between worlds, not part of her human world and not part of my Dragon world either. Even if she did want that, would she be able to live a lifetime with me, or would she curse my youth on her deathbed?

I shook my head. No matter how many times I went over this, I always ended at the same point. This couldn't happen, no matter how much that kiss was haunting me.

"I think it is time I go back home; before Tatiana comes knocking."

My mother shook her head in amusement.

"Just know, I am here for anything you need."

I nodded and walked outside of my mother chambers. I moved to the courtyard opening in the Palace. How they managed it I didn't know, but the Fire Dragon seat of power was housed on top of a mountain, or rather inside the mountain. The Palace had been carved from stone inside the mountain, the rooms and private chambers and intricate system of alcoves and caves. But all hallways lead to this opening at the top of the mountain. It was an easy place for Dragons to lift off from. The wind here was fierce as it was uninhibited by trees or even the mountain itself. For humans, it would be too cold and too windy. Probably why no human ever came here, you know besides the fact they would have been eaten halfway up the mountain. I spread my wings, and I saw several people taking a step back. My wingspan was impressive, as was my size, and it always seemed to inspire a sense of awe in the people staying here.

But all of a sudden they weren't moving away to give me space. They were giving somebody else space.

They moved away like a school of fish would from a shark, and I don't think the analogy was too far off. My Grandmother Yeva the Faul was walking towards me. She was petite even for a female Dragon, and her hunched over posture was making her look even shorter. She was bending over her cane and walking very slowly towards me, with a gait that suggested gout. Her scales had long lost their color and now appeared more grey-white than anything else. It was a testimony to her age. My Grandmother was easily the oldest Dragon in existence. Rumor was that Death itself was afraid of her, some even suggested she bartered with Death. But no matter how unthreatening she looked, even the most trained of the Dragon warriors standing on guard moved away.

Because her name, Yeva the Faul, was well deserved.

As the low-born side of the Royal family, my mother was often neglected. But Dragon's didn't adhere to Royals just because they were Royal; Dragons cared about one thing. Power. Either you were powerful and worth talking to or about, or you were not. There are many kinds of power, and it didn't matter to Dragons which kind of power you had, political, monetary or combat skills, as long as you had it. In my case, Dragons respected me because I was the highest-ranking Dragon warrior, and there wasn't a better-trained person out there.

In the case of my grandmother, it was magic. Knowledge and magic. It made her both respected and feared.

She wobbled up to me. Now I knew my grandmother's gait was mostly for show. Yes she sustained an injury in her hip years ago, and it had never really healed properly, but she could walk just fine if she wanted to. The point is she didn't want to.

Once she was in range, she smacked me across the chest with her tail. The sharp tip at the end had been dulled over the years, but the surprising force behind it still hurt.

"Silly boy. Always thinking too much. For once in your life, silence your head and let your heart speak."

I didn't know what to say to my grandmother. Obviously, the news of Rose staying with me had traveled to her as well. I didn't understand why everyone came to the conclusion, however right it might be, that Rose and I were involved, or at least I was having feelings for her. Sure, having a human stay at a Dragon's den was completely unheard off, and doing it to keep her safe, certainly would raise some heads. But I was a little ticked off to know I was losing my ability to hide my emotions.

Rose was slowly destroying me. And the worst part is, I didn't even mind.

"And when you don't want others to read you, close the damn book."

I chuckled. It was like she was reading my mind. I had always had an uncanny ability to hide my emotions. Even when I was seething on the inside, on the outside, I would remain calm, passive and unmoving. My ability to stay calm and detach myself from a situation and not let my emotions take over saved me on multiple occasions. There have been two occasions where I let others see the real me. My troops saw me wailing over my lost brother when Ivan died in a battle against the Snow Dragons and when I was with Rose. Somehow she broke down my walls and drew out the real me.

My Grandmother retreated again, and as she turned slapped me across the chest again for good measure.

I guess that was my cue to leave.

I took advantage of the space the presence of my grandmother had made and stretched my wings to their full wingspan and with one good push down, I lifted into the air.

I flew back to my cave, finding it annoyingly empty as I arrived. I didn't hear her melodious voice or see her graceful body. I decided to make the best of it and sunbathe. It may be peacetime now, but if Tatiana's ever more persistent requests for my assurance were any indication, it might not last long.

But my own peace was promptly interrupted. But I didn't actually mind. I could smell the scent of a horse tied to a tree below.

Rose walked onto the ledge and saw me sitting on the sundeck and didn't hesitate for a moment. She sat down next to me with a big hmmph. She seemed agitated.

"I had to get out of there. My mother is driving me crazy."

I felt a little hurt she came here because she didn't want to be there, instead of wanting to be here with me. But on the other hand, it did mean that she felt safe enough to come here when she was upset or needed to get away.

She had her arms crossed over her chest, and she was actually pouting.

"Mother's tend to do that."

"Not my mother. She hasn't been around long enough to drive me crazy."

I tilted my head towards her. Her voice went from frustrated to downright sad. I waited patiently for her to continue. I saw it wasn't easy for her to talk about this.

"My mother hasn't been in my life much. She handed me off to Alberta to train when I was four. My mother is a handmaiden guard for someone too. I had made up this story in my head that my mother was protecting some exotic princess in a land far from here, that is why she hardly ever visited me. But it turns out she has been located a few hours ride most of my life. I just wasn't worth visiting. I almost died when I was nine. Some weird disease the Doctors had no idea how to cure. I had a fever and a rash all over my body. She sent me a weird medicine that seemed to work, but she didn't bother showing up herself. So I don't know why she is here now. She seemed to have a real problem with Dragons, so she isn't even here because she was worried about me, but because she wanted to make sure I didn't hang around with you or Dimitri for that matter."

I was a little shocked by her revelation. I couldn't understand how a mother could abandon her child like that, but her comments about Dragons had me spooked. Could Rose's mother know the truth about who I was? Who Dimitri was? Is that why she doesn't want her daughter hanging around here? It sounded to me like she had had a bad experience with a Dragon before.

"Well, that seems to have worked out for her." I have known Rose for only a short while, and even I knew not to forbid her anything. It was a sure way of having her do exactly that. Case in point.

"What about your father? Is he around?"

She shook her head.

"I am not even sure I have a father. I don't know anything about him. Not a name, not if he is alive or not, nothing about why he isn't here. She just never discusses him, and when I ask, she just shuts down."

My mind immediately went to rape, but if her mother was a trained fighter like Rose, I imagine Rose wouldn't have been born because her mother would have kicked the seed that led to her conception while still in the balls of its occupant, just like her daughter.

So I wondered what it was about her father that made her mother shut down. Perhaps he was dead, perhaps he was killed by Dragons? It would certainly explain her disdain for us.

"What about you? Are you close to your parents?"

She seemed to have had some revelation, and I saw her face pale. It was almost comical.

"I mean, do Dragons have parents? I mean I know they have parents, everyone has parents, but I mean, did they raise you or do Dragons have to be self-sufficient like a reptile once they hatch."

I laughed. I know there are some similarities between us and reptiles, well mostly the scales, but that is where the comparison ends. From anyone else, the comparison to reptiles would have been insulting, but with Rose it was cute. In part, because she was seriously considering it and didn't want to offend me or bring up some abandonment issues.

"No. No, Dragons are raised by their parents. We stay with our parents for at least a century before we are even considered old enough to do anything on our own. My mother and I are close. Actually, I just came back from visiting her. She is one of the kindest and warmest persons I know."

"And your father?"

I growled.

"Okay, point taken." She put her hands up in mock surrender.

My whole body tensed at the mention of my father. I realized Rose was looking at me with concern, and I tried to calm myself down again. I took a deep breath.

"You have never met a more sorry excuse for a man. He claimed my mother without her consent. And he abused her for centuries when he had been drinking too much ale. When I was a hundred and thirty years old I was already bigger than he was and better trained and I kicked him out. He fled and didn't come back. I have no idea where he is now."

Rose touched my scales in a comforting gesture. Her hand was so small on my large scales, but somehow the touch was enough to bring me some peace.

"I am sorry. That must have been tough. What did you mean claim your mother?"

"It is the Dragon's equivalent of marriage I suppose. But it is more physical than that. You mark your mate so that other Dragon's know she is taken. And in return, you are spoken for as well. In principle, Dragons are monogamous and only have one mate in their lifetime."

"In principle? So that means even if Dragons are claimed they still fuck around like rabbits?"

I laughed. So eloquently put.

"Actually, no. We tend to do that before we claim a mate. After it, we hold true to our mate. Adultery is more a human thing. The exception being my father. Then again, he doesn't have access to his mate and will never have access again."

"Sounds rough."

I just shrugged.

"It is done. Nothing I can do to change that."

She smiled at me.

"Parents, huh."

I chuckled. She was biting her lower lip. I recognized it as a sign of nervousness

"So have you claimed a mate?"

I was a little taken aback by her question. It was like she wanted the answer to be no. But I couldn't understand why. She had kissed the knight. She clearly had feelings for him. I noticed I felt bitter about that. Sounds strange being jealous of yourself, but I was. So I didn't understand how me being mated would mean anything to her.

"No, I am not. I don't think I ever will. My mother assured me there had been love between her and my father once, but he still claimed her without her consent, chaining him to her. If his love could turn into something dark like a need to possess, who says mine won't? Who says me and my mate will love each other unconditionally for the rest of our lives? Dragons can live to be over a millennium old. That is a long time to be with one person and never have your feelings changed."

"I never took you for a cynic. I think it is rather romantic. Showing your feelings are so strong that you are convinced they will last forever."

I always thought it was a myth, finding that kind of love. But now I wasn't so sure.

"What about you, Roza? Any suitors back in your town?"

She seemed to blush.

"No suitors back in town."

She was biting her bottom lip again.

"I kissed him."

She blurted out, and she seemed a little breathless from the confession. But I didn't know how to handle this information. Of course, it was old news. I was there; I remember that kiss and what a kiss it was. But she didn't know that. She didn't know I was him and now she wanted to discuss that kiss with me, thinking I was an impartial party. I was glad she felt comfortable enough around me to confide in me, but the situation was weird.

"You kissed the knight?"

She nodded.

"I wasn't planning on it. I just couldn't seem to leave him without it."

"So why is that a bad thing?"

"It isn't but it is complicated. I like Dimitri, I do. But I still have Lissa to take care of, and then there is…"

She looked up at me with a peculiar expression. Before shaking her head.

"Never mind."

Did she imply her relationship with Dimitri was complicated because of me? Because she might have feelings for me, as a Dragon? I dismissed the thought because it was too ludicrous to even consider.

* * *

Yeva the Faul is a reference to Bridiga the Faul in the Dargon kin books. A powerful witch, she is actually evil but always puts family first.

Happy new years


	10. Chapter 10

RPOV

After a nice sunbath with Dimka, I moved inside waiting for Dimitri to show up. Dimka said he had gone to town for some supplies. The Dragon flew away saying he needed to catch his lunch.

After I had raided the kitchen I went to the library. I actually meant to start reading one of those books about the knight, but my eyes subconsciously darted towards the non-fiction section of the library. There were books in here that looked ancient. I could see they were meticulously sorted, alphabetically by topic. I wondered if these books could contain any information about the markings on my extremities?

I walked towards the bookshelf and just ran my finger over the back of these books, wanting their information to transfer to me through the contact. Unfortunately, the books stayed annoyingly silent.

I wondered what books I should be looking into? Magic, Alchemy, Languages? I decided to have the universe guide me as I opened a random book on a random page.

Well, the universe wasn't helping today. The page contained the detailed description of a dissection of the eye of a cow. But it was surprisingly well illustrated which only added to the gross-factor. After flipping through the pages of that particular book, I placed it back in its rightful place on the bookshelf and declared it utterly useless. I picked up another one from a different section. This one was on languages. I scanned the book, but couldn't find any similarities with the marks on my limbs. I kept looking in books, trying to find some illustrations that matched these markings.

I wish I could summon the marks somehow, so I could write them down or simply to take a good look again. I wondered if I would even be able to identify the markings in a book if I saw it. The images of the markings in my head had already faded.

I thought about what had triggered the markings before. This was the first time I had seen them. I had been standing close to the fire, but then again, I had been standing close to fires my entire life. What was different about the last time?

I decided to try to make them show. I moved to the small fire still burning in the library. I put a new log on and poked the fire to allow air to fuel it. Once the fire was of a decent size, I stretched my hand out towards it just like I did the first time. But nothing happened. I kept looking at my wrists, but no markings appeared. Maybe the markings weren't actually on me, maybe they were in the room with Lissa and attached themselves to whoever was there? If somebody was after Lissa using magic, I needed to know what these markings did and who could have put them there.

But I wondered if they were attached to the room and not me, why my mother had freaked out about them.

I looked at the fire again. Wanting to replicate whatever I had done last time. I had made the fire, just like I did now. I had been staring at it, admiring it. I had felt a certain kinship with the fire, a certain connection. So I stared and stared, watching the flames dance across the logs, burning higher until they dissipated in the air. The colors of the fire were bright, ranging from blue when the fire burned the hottest to oranges and reds were they mixed with enough air. I could see all the nuances in the colors, feel the warmth of the flames on my skin, and I just wanted to be closer to it, to touch it, to feel it, to be it. I looked down at my wrists and saw the markings appear, cutting off my connection to the fire that had been so vivid a moment ago.

I wanted to get them off, to experience the connection again. I felt like I had been drowning in a cold ocean for years and the fire had been the single gust of air I had had in that time. I needed it; I craved it. But it was gone. I almost felt like crying.

But I had to set aside the desperate feeling to be close to the fire once again and focus on the markings itself. I took a pencil and paper from the mantel, being careful not to step too far away from the fire and started to sketch the markings. They were intricate and complex, and my sketching skills were severely lacking, but I think I accurately captured a few markings to compare to pictures in the books before they disappeared.

"Rose?"

I turned around and was a little shocked to see Dimitri standing in the opening of the library. I stepped away from the fire and placed the piece of paper containing my sketches in the pocket of my dress. I didn't understand why I was feeling nervous like I had just been caught red-handed by the kitchen staff stealing a nice juicy piece of meat for dinner, but I was.

My mother's words came back to me. 'Don't show anyone the markings.'

I trusted Dimitri, I did, but for some reason, I didn't want him to know about these markings. Perhaps because I didn't want him to think I was a freak.

"Hey," I replied after an immeasurable amount of time.

He looked around the library and saw books scattered across the floor. Some open and some closed, but there were at least a few dozen books.

"Were you looking for something particular?"

This is where I needed to make a decision. I didn't want to lie to him, but I also wasn't ready to tell the whole truth.

"I am looking into something. I don't have much to go on right now and am probably a little paranoid, but if I have more, I will ask for your help. I don't even know if I have enough to start looking, hence the many books on the ground," I said plastering a large smile on my face, hoping he would let it go.

After the confusion had subsided from his face, a soft smile graced his features.

"So, you're back for some more training?"

I nodded.

"I needed to get out of there for a little bit, so Lissa sent me to gather some rare ingredient she simply must have as an excuse for me to be gone for a few hours and visit you."

It wasn't a lie. Lissa did send me here under the pretense of gathering some rare ingredient, so nobody would be suspicious if I was gone for several hours, and I did need to get away from the palace. But what I had confided with Dimka so freely, I found it hard now to share with Dimitri. Maybe because part of me wanted to impress Dimitri, and not make him see what a basket case of troubles I was. But part of me knew it was because I felt completely at ease around the Dragon. And although I was very comfortable in Dimitri's presence as well, there was a difference.

I saw him look a little confused and perhaps a little hurt? But he shook it off and walked closer to me.

"You can't train in your dress. I still have your training clothes here if you want."

I pointed to the corner of the library where I had thrown the sack I had brought.

"I brought my own. Ones that actually fit."

He chuckled and I moved to grab my bag and walk to the bedroom.

It was strange; right now I didn't know how to act around him. Being this close to him again, I could remember every detail of our kiss. But he didn't seem too interested in discussing it or repeating it, even though I knew he had reciprocated the kiss with great vigor.

I took off my dress and heeled shoes and replaced them with trousers and a shirt and some flats.

It took less than two minutes for me to emerge from the bedroom alcove. I saw Dimitri rake his eyes over my body. I might have picked clothes that fit me well, a little too well. The trousers were tight but flexible, and in contrast to the blouse Dimitri had provided me with before, this shirt was skin tight. It didn't have the deep cleavage the other blouse had, but it made up for it by showing the curves of my breasts to perfection.

After his eyes were done ogling me, his eyes met mine, and I saw the lust reflected in them only moments ago, being replaced by embarrassment and resignation.

He cleared his throat.

"Well, let's get started."

He walked away from me and quickly descended the rocky stairs to the open area in the trees below.

I didn't understand. Did he regret the kiss? Wasn't he even going to mention it? Were we just going to train and not talk about it at all?

I had had this fantasy in my head where he saw me in his home again and picked me up and kissed me silly, proclaiming his undying love for me. Reality had been very different. But I was also here to train so might as well get to it. Maybe I could take some of my frustration out on him.

We started off with some hand to hand combat, and he quickly realized ignoring me, and the tension between us had been a mistake. I attacked him vigorously and without mercy and he would have a few bruises to show for it in the morning. He had expected us to start slow, but now he was catching up to my speed and intensity. He reciprocated my kicks and punches, and we kept picking up the pace and soon were in a full blow out fight. I didn't care anymore if I got hurt or even if I would hurt him. This tension needed to go somewhere, and if it wasn't going towards sexual encounters, it might as well go somewhere productive.

It was strange, but at a certain point my frustration ebbed away and was replaced by a sense of serenity. We moved together like we were dancing. Neither of us being able to hit the other because we could see each other's moves a mile away. I felt so in tune with him, which only made me more confused.

Our bodies were coated with a light sheen of sweat and every time we touched I could feel the electricity move through my body. I needed more, I needed more touches, I needed to be closer to him. I simply needed more Dimitri. But I felt him holding back. Whenever I came to close, he pulled away.

My mind was distracting my body and one moment of hesitation and Dimitri took me down and pinned me to the earth. My hands were above my head, and his body was pressed firmly against mine, keeping me from moving.

It took a few moments for my mind to catch up to my body, but once I realized what position we were in, my breathing increased, and it had nothing to do with the exertion of my body from the fight. Although there was a healthy amount of gasping for air from that too.

He looked down at me and his eyes held so many emotions. Lust was clearly at the forefront as was love, but there was also hesitation in there and a desperation. A plea for me to pull away because apparently, he couldn't.

But I wasn't helping him there.

I closed the distance between us and pressed my lips to his. For a moment he stilled, but then he responded. His hands released the hands restrained above my head and moved down to my side. One hand found its way into my hair while still supporting his weight on his elbow while the other went to my back and pressed me closer to him, molding my body to his. My own hands made it to his back and hair as I kept his face locked with mine, desperate not to let him go.

He licked the bottom of my lip, and I opened greedily for him. His tongue connected with mine and I moaned at the sensation. We seemed to dance. His tongue and mine locked in a dance neither of us wanted to break. His hand moved under my shirt touching my bare skin. I hissed and pulled back slightly at the sensation of his calloused hands on my smooth skin. His leg was between my thighs, and he was pressed right against my core. I could feel my whole body responding to his touch, to his lips, to simply him. It was screaming for him never to let me go.

But of course, he did.

Suddenly he pulled back and rolled off of me, trying to catch his breath as he looked up at the sky. He ran his hands through his hair in a desperate attempt to keep them busy and not let them return to the task they were occupied with only moments ago.

"I can't."

I could feel the shock rack through my body as his rejection reached my brain.

"Why?"

I knew I sounded desperate and maybe even a bit young. But I didn't care. I needed to know. I knew he liked me. I knew it wasn't just physical attraction. I knew he cared about me.

He turned towards me, and the pain in his eyes was clear for the whole world to see. I wanted to reach out and comfort him. I wanted to stroke his cheek and brush away a wayward strand of hair from his face. But my hands stayed perfectly still at my sides.

"It is complicated."

"Then uncomplicate it."

He chuckled and shook his head.

"There is no future for us Rose. I have responsibilities where I don't have room for you, and you have the same with Lady Dragomir. I try and see a way around it, try and see if there is a way I can make this work, but I always end up at the same point. That is isn't going to work. No matter how much I might want it to."

It warmed my heart to know that he had wanted to plan a future for us. That he did love me enough to think of those things. He just hadn't found a solution to the problem. And honestly neither had I. I had Lissa to take care of and although these little trips were adequate for now, it was no way to have a serious relationship. I had known this from the start. But somehow along the way I had convinced myself that we would figure it out. If there was a will, there was a way. Maybe I could make it work on my side. Lissa could probably use the services of a knight, and we could live together at the palace, although I would always be torn between my responsibilities to both of them. But Dimitri had responsibilities too. Of course, he did. He wasn't just a hermit living in the mountains. He must have a day job or responsibilities to his family.

I moved a little closer to him and moved my body so I was half lying on top of him, my hands on either side of him.

"I know. This is a terrible idea. And once reality catches up with us, we will have to part. But at least for now I want to pretend I am a normal girl, who is able to spend some time with someone she loves."

His eyes lit up at the mention of me loving him. But he didn't reciprocate. Not because he wasn't feeling it, I could see the love clear in his eyes, but because he wasn't allowing himself to say it. Because if he did, he would be lost.

He brushed some of the hair out of my face that had fallen forwards and placed it behind my ear. He cupped my cheek.

"So we just pretend we can be together, even if it is for a little while?"

I nodded.

"If I have learned anything from my life, it is to live every day like it is your last because it might very well be. I am not asking for a lifelong commitment. Just when I am with you, and you are with me, we should be able to express how we feel even if it only for a little while."

A smile appeared on his face that reached all the way to his eyes. He pulled me closer and gently brushed his lips against mine.

"I think I can live with that."

We actually did get back to work after that, but our fighting had gotten a completely new undertone. It was playful and fun and loaded with sexual tension.

After we fought a few more times, we called it a day.

It was hot, and I saw Dimitri's face was red from heat and exertion. I probably had a similar skin tone. But to my utter horror and amusement, he took his shirt off and splashed some water on his face. I saw the droplets move down his chest and I followed the train down his body and into the V located at the top of his trousers. I knew it was completely irrational, but I was insanely jealous of those droplets of water. I wanted to run my hands down his body to feel his muscles flex underneath my touch.

I stepped closer to him and did just that. He hissed at the contact but made no move to stop me. I traced his pecks and abs, but my fingers moved away from the unblemished tan skin and towards a ragged scar across his chest. He had several scars across his body. I had seen a slash on his neck and a few clean cuts across his arms. But this scar seemed to me he was lucky to be alive.

"How did you get this?"

"In battle."

I smiled.

"I figured that. Battling who?"

"Monsters."

I shook my head. He wasn't very forthcoming was he?

"I have been in many battles, Rose, and they have all left their mark on me, physical or otherwise. I did what I had to, to protect the innocent and keep my troops alive."

"So you have troops?"

He nodded.

"I am a General."

"So those are your responsibilities you have to go back to?"

He nodded again.

"So you're not just a knight for hire, like in the stories?"

He laughed.

"No, but I am regretting not being freer like him, right about now," he said as he pulled me towards him in a tight embrace.

* * *

Early update. Had some free time.


	11. Chapter 11

DPOV

She will be the death of me yet. I can't believe I agreed to just take it a day at a time. That was a bad strategy, certainly for someone that had always planned everything in meticulous detail.

Rose had left to head back to Lissa with some rare ingredient I had lying around. She said Lissa didn't have anything planned for Sunday so that she would be back then. I was already looking forward to it.

After she left I had a nice long bath, I moved towards the library and was reminded of Rose's presence here. The books were still all across the floor. I picked them up one by one and placed them back into the bookcase in their respective places. What had she been searching for?

When I had walked in, I had seen markings on her wrists and neck. Was she researching them? She wouldn't find any reference to those in these books. These were human books with human knowledge. My Dragon library was located at the back of the dome, and Rose hadn't been there yet. I was deliberately keeping her away from there because me crashing here as a Dragon from time to time was a lot easier to explain than me having a Dragon library.

The markings on her wrists and neck were ancient Dragon sorcery. I didn't understand what they meant and why Rose would have them, but I knew it was definitely strange for a human to carry around Dragon sorcery. I had seen the markings and was glad I could remember enough of it to write them down. I couldn't read the ancient language of magic, but I had seen enough over the years from my grandmother, to have a feel for the symbols and remember them accurately.

And if somebody knew what was going on it would be Yeva. I decided I would have to talk to the old bat.

As I was flying back the distance to the palace, I was thinking over my interaction with Rose in the library. On the one hand, I was glad Rose hadn't confided in me about the marks, because then I wouldn't have to lie, denying I knew they were of Dragon origin. But on the other hand, I was a little pissed off she hadn't confided in me. I briefly wondered if she would have confided in the Dragon form of me. She had confided about her mother to him, but there was no mention of her to me. Maybe I was reading too much into this? Maybe she had already gotten it off her chest when she talked to the Dragon and felt no need to discuss it further.

I landed in the middle of the courtyard, and people seemed to be a little surprised to see me. It is unusual for me to make trips here so often. But I paid them little mind. I needed to get to my grandmother's chamber.

I was nearing her chamber that was attached to my mothers. I heard voices coming from inside. I wondered if I should give them some privacy, but once I heard his voice and recognized him, I decided to come in and see what this was about.

 _"_ _You said the spell would keep her hidden."_

My grandmother was about to reply when I walked in.

My grandmother looked up from her position on the rock but didn't seem surprised to see me. Her conversation partner, on the other hand, was surprised by my presence and I could see anger flash across his face.

I knew my grandmother had dealings with pretty much everybody, so I shouldn't be surprised to find him here. But I was surprised because Zmey, or Ibrahim the Shrewd as he was officially called, didn't ask for help from anybody. He was the person that people came to when they needed something done. In a way, he and my grandmother were rivals. Both had vast resources to get things done, and both were respected and feared amongst their clients. But where my grandmother's resources consisted of magic and knowledge, Zmey's resources included money, contacts and everything shady. I was a little surprised to see none of his goons here with him. He always had a guard with him. But I suppose that whatever he was discussing with Yeva, he didn't want anybody to hear. And by the dangerous look in his eyes, that included me.

The Dragon itself didn't seem that scary. His black scales and dark eyes were a stark contrast to the gaudy jewelry he wore. Most Dragons didn't wear anything, sometimes females would wear a ring or a necklace, but Zmey always wore some bright ring around his talon to show his wealth and perhaps to give off the message that he just didn't care. He was a lot smaller than me, but still average for a Dragon.

I stood a little taller as to assert as much dominance over him as I could, but Zmey just narrowed his eyes further at me. He wasn't impressed, which was actually impressive, because everybody in their right mind would be afraid of me and my skills and he wasn't. Then again, anybody in their right mind would be afraid of Ibrahim the Shrewd, and I wasn't, so I guess that made us even.

"Yeva, always a pleasure, I see you have company, so we will discuss this business another time."

He inclined his head towards her in a rare show of respect as he exited the door.

"You have dealings with Zmey?" I turned towards my grandmother with my claws crossed.

She just shrugged.

"I have dealings with everyone."

"Well, now you have dealings with me. I need some information about an ancient spell."

I handed her the sketch of the markings I had seen on Rose. She looked down at the paper and raised an eyebrow at me

"Where did you see this?"

"Does it matter?"

Her eyes narrowed, and she swung her tail at my chest again. I didn't understand how an old woman could slash her tail so fast that a highly trained warrior couldn't defend against it. I claimed it magic; it had to be.

"Of course it matters, knowledge is power. Have I taught you nothing boy?"

I tried very hard not to roll my eyes, and my face actually strained to remain impassive.

"I have seen these markings on Rose, they're on her wrists and neck and probably more places."

"When did you see them?"

"She came over earlier today. She was standing near the fire in the library."

She looked down at the paper again, but I had seen she recognized these markings.

"This is a binding spell. It binds Dragon magic."

I looked confused now. I took the paper from my grandmother again and looked to see if maybe I had remembered the markings wrong. But as I stared down at the paper I could clearly visualize the marking on her skin, and these were an exact match.

"Why would a Dragon binding spell be cast on a human?"

That made my grandmother smile.

"It wouldn't."

So somebody messed up? They cast it on the wrong person? Was she at the wrong place at the wrong time? She did have a knack for that. Maybe that was why the Black Dragon had been watching her? Maybe a spell went wrong, and he just wanted to observe the effects and make sure there wasn't any damage to her.

"Can you tell me who can cast these kinds of spells?"

Her smile only grew wider, showing her fangs. She knew something; she was just mocking me, trying to make me find out on my own.

"There aren't many people who can cast spells like that. This particular spell can only be cast by one person."

"Who?"

Now she was grinning from ear to ear.

"Me!"

She sounded way too cheerful which was scary in and of itself.

"Why would you cast this spell on Rose?"

I was thoroughly confused. My grandmother knew Rose? What did she know about her that I didn't? Rose didn't know anything about the markings because first of all she was looking for answers she clearly didn't have, and she was looking in the wrong place.

"All in due time, boy."

I just gawked at her. She wasn't going to say anything. But this thing with Rose just kept getting more complicated. Could this be tied to her fast healing?

I stormed out of there and went to my chambers. When my grandmother didn't want to talk, she wouldn't talk. I just hoped she would reveal her secrets before she met our ancestors in the afterlife.

My mind was reeling from this new revelation, and a thousand different scenarios were running through my head as to what was going on with Rose. But no matter how I thought about it, the correct answer seemed to elude me.

I must have been staring at the ceiling for some time, lost in thought, because Christian cleared his throat, standing only a few feet away. I hadn't even heard him come in.

"What are you doing here again so soon? You don't seem the type to just come here to brood and look at the ceiling."

I sat up from the plateau carved into the cave wall that functioned as a bed.

"I had some dealings with my grandmother."

Christian's snout contorted into a grimace.

"Now, I know you aren't stupid enough to actually have dealings with your grandmother, favorite grandchild or not, she will still demand payment, and I am sure that is not something you want to part with."

I chuckled. Yes, my grandmother had a tendency to ask for strange items and things as payment. People would usually agree to pay 'anything' for help from my grandmother. They all assume she wants money and that 'anything' just means an absurd amount of it. But Yeva tended to ask for other things of value. Some things were physical items, but others were immaterial. Information, your ability to see color, I even heard she asked one Dragon to be celibate for the rest of his life. God knows what she could do with it, but I learned early on to agree to a price of a bargain before I negotiated the bargain itself. I briefly wondered what Zmey paid.

"No, I am not stupid enough to bargain with my grandmother, I just needed information. But she was frustratingly silent on the matter."

At least I wasn't stupid enough to bargain with her yet. The more I was drawn to Rose, the more I was considering asking her about the longevity spell. But every time I entertained the idea, I quickly dismissed it. Christian was right, the price would be high, and Rose wouldn't leave Lissa anyway.

He sat down next to me.

"I also saw Zmey with my grandmother."

Christian leaned back on his haunches and touched his claw to his face.

"Like sitting in a circle mocking all the stupid deals their clients made with them. I can totally see them doing that."

I laughed. Yeah, I could too. For some reason, those two were peas in a pod.

"No, he seemed to have business with my grandmother."

"Zmey?"

I nodded.

"The serpent?"

I nodded again.

"Ibrahim the Shrewd, asking somebody else for help?"

I sighed but nodded.

"I wonder what he wanted?"

"He said something about a spell keeping her hidden. But he stopped talking the moment I entered the room."

"So is that what has you so worried? I know Zmey is a dangerous man, but he is fair. I don't think you need to worry about your grandmother."

I laughed.

"Oh, I wasn't worried about Yeva. If anything I think Zmey would lose that battle."

"Then what has the great General Dimitri so distracted that he didn't hear someone come in?"

I sighed deeply and looked at the ceiling again. I don't know what kind of look I had in my eyes that gave me away, but Christian seemed to have picked up on the accurate truth.

"Not this girl again. She is getting under your skin too much."

I laughed a half bitter laugh. He had no idea.

"I kissed her."

Christian's mouth fell open.

"Well technically she kissed me, but I reciprocated. And it wasn't just one time."

"Did you sleep with her?"

I looked over to him to see if he was serious and to calculate how fast I could deck him if he said anything inappropriate.

"No, she is innocent in that sort of thing."

I smiled a little at how flustered she had looked when she had read the books from the knight. Now they were well-written books, and the story was compelling, but I would hardly think that kind of description would warrant such a heated response from her. It showcased her inexperience.

Christian just laughed.

"You can't sleep with a human virgin; you will break her in half. Most experienced human women have a hard time accommodating a Dragon."

I actually never thought about it like that. Dragon's did tend to be larger than human males and a lot stronger. It could cause some difficulties with human women, although most of them never wanted anything else but a Dragon after that. Not that they knew we were Dragons, but still.

I never thought that I could hurt Rose in such a way. I doubt I would. We could just take it slow, experiment with each other's bodies, find out what she likes and doesn't like. I would make her ready for me before I would bury myself inside of her.

"Dude, stop thinking about how you are going to fuck her."

I looked up at Christian. Damn, I needed to work on my stern face. I swear I never had a problem with that before.

"Look I am not saying you can't have a little fun with her. God knows every Dragon has had a human, but getting attached to her like this, thinking about her like you are doing isn't going to lead to anything good."

I ran my claws across my horns. I knew this. Of course, I knew this.

"It isn't like that. I know there is no future with her. She knows it too. We both have responsibilities we cannot leave behind, but that doesn't mean I am ready to let her go just yet. Even if it is only for a little while, I want to experience more of her."

He shook his head.

"You are in deep. Way too deep. Maybe you should ask your grandmother to make you an anti-love spell. Might be your only hope now…By the way, I wasn't here on a social call. You have been summoned by Queen Tatiana."

I groaned.

"She thought if she sent you, I wouldn't kill the messenger?"

He chuckled and put his hands up in surrender.

"I know you have been blowing her off and if you do it this time, not only will she be pissed at you, she will also be pissed at me."

I rolled my eyes and stood up.

"Fine. Let's get this over with."

I followed Christian towards the large throne room. Each reigning Monarch had sat in this room since its construction thousands of years ago. The room had incredibly high ceilings, and the construction was a true work of art that must have cost stone masons decades if not centuries to accomplish. How the structure hadn't collapsed under the weight of the mountain, I didn't understand. There was a single hole in the ceiling that let in natural light, and it shone directly on the throne and on our Queen, making her look angelic and innocent.

Both couldn't be further from the truth.

Tatiana the Regal had earned her name well, and it had nothing to do with her actually being Queen. She had earned the name when she was still a princess and had ordered the death of a traitor. Now the call had been just, and treason is punishable by death, but usually, the sentence would be carried out in the dungeons, by an executioner. But Tatiana had wanted to make an example and had taken off his head herself. And while decapitating this Dragon, the small polite smile had stayed on her face, and her form had remained graceful, and even the blood splatter on her scales or the last screams of this Dragon could not move her to be anything less than Regal.

She stood up from her throne and waited for me to be near enough to outstretch her claws in a rare show of familial affection. She kissed the air on either side of my snout and pulled back.

"Dimitri, my nephew, what a pleasure you could finally join me for a chat."

I retreated slightly and bowed my head in etiquette.

"I apologize, my Queen, I have been rather busy, and I was under the impression we had discussed all important matters only a few weeks ago."

I didn't hide the fact that I thought my visit here was an utter waste of time.

Tatiana moved for me to rise.

"Oh, none of that here. We are family after all."

"Oh really, could have fooled me."

I saw her eyes darken a bit in anger, but also in regret and perhaps a bit of shame.

"I never wanted things to end as they did. But your father wasn't fit to take the throne. At the time you and your sister were too young to decide anything, so I made the decision to appoint Nathan and subsequently Adrian my heir. Now you know I have no intention of letting Nathan rule, but I am sure Adrian will make a fine King… and for what it is worth, I thought you or your sister would have made a fine monarch as well."

She thought our animosity came from the fact that we were passed over as heir to the throne. I had no interest in the throne, and I knew Karolina or Sonya had even fewer aspirations to that end. Viktoria was simply too young to want anything. Actually, losing our position as next in line for the throne had been the only good thing to come out of the mess with my father. I actually thought that Adrian would make a decent King. Adrian the Charming was able to convince a lot of people of a lot of things, he could handle the diplomatic side of this a lot better than I could. The boy had no knowledge of military strategies, but he had me for that. I knew that once Adrian was on the throne, I would take over most of the military aspects. Adrian and I had discussed it on many occasions and we have a plan. Hopefully, we don't have to think about that for a long time. Tatiana still had a century or two to go before she would even be thinking of retiring.

No, it had nothing to do with being bumped down the list of next in line. It had to do with the fact that after I kicked my father out of the palace and Tatiana disowned him, she practically disowned us too. My mother was shunned by other Royals, because she was low-born, and considered weak for letting Randall claim her without her consent. My sisters were considered damaged goods, and I was judged as my father's son. I only regained some of my good name through the military. And Tatiana and Nathan had stood by and let it happen.

And here she was wondering why I wasn't greeting her as my aunt.

I simply nodded at her comment, cursing the little bit of satisfaction I felt from her approval.

"So what is it you called me in for?"

Her gaze darkened and I knew this wasn't just one of her obsessive compulsive tendencies to know the status of each of my troops.

"The Snow Dragons are moving closer to the border. There have been reports that they are banding together. There was a town not far from the border completely massacred. Thank the Gods, it was only a human town, but I don't like the fact that they seem to be organizing."

I almost rolled my eyes at her comment about humans. Although I hadn't had any particular love for them before Rose, I never thought they were insignificant. They deserved to live in peace and safety just as much as we did.

I looked over the report about the Snow Dragons close to the border. The report was detailed and outlined exactly what they found. This wasn't something done by a handful of them, they had indeed banded together and attacked this village. But why? As provocation towards us? As a show of power? They were getting bolder and bolder.

Normally Snow Dragons were too violent to do anything together. They would turn on each other before they could harm us. Any infractions that occurred on our side of the border were dealt with. Snow Dragons were stronger than us, but our superior military force had always been able to keep our villages safe.

"We need to be ready, Dimitri, we need to be ready to crush them if they decide to come over. Please tell me we have enough force to defend our lands."

I looked down at the map. Tatiana's Kingdom was vast and outstretched. The entire northern territories bordered with the Snow lands where the Snow Dragons lived.

"We have enough manpower, that isn't the problem. The problem is distributing them. Snow Dragons won't attack in a full army. Maybe it would have been better if they did. To be able to cover the entire border we would have to spread my men too thinly. We need superior manpower and skilled warriors to take them down effectively."

Tatiana didn't seem to like my answer, but she wasn't surprised to hear it.

"Do I need to evacuate Dragon families from that region?"

I looked down to the map again.

"Where are the nearest Dragons located?"

She pointed to a mountain range a little bit inland. I doubt those families would be in immediate danger, but we had a choice to make. Not evacuating them could put them in danger, but evacuating them could cause panic. That kind of mayhem and chaos would provide the Snow Dragons with perfect opportunity to attack. It was a hard decision, but I told Tatiana not to evacuate them.

"And any human towns?"

She looked a little funny but pointed out the human villages none the less.

"Any of them have strategic value in terms of trade?"

She shook her head. The lands to the north were pretty bare, so these villages were poor and didn't have much we wanted to trade.

I saw the only town that would have been an easy target was the town they'd already destroyed. They knew if they ventured any further and crossed the border they would essentially be declaring war.

"I'll send scouts to survey the area and keep a close eye on any movement. I'll send out the order to prepare to mobilize at any moment. But for now, we wait. I don't want to start a war I don't have to."

I wouldn't want to start a war I wasn't sure we could win.


	12. Chapter 12

RPOV

My mother had left this morning. She had wanted to stay a few days to try and spend some time with me. Honestly, it was an excuse to see if I would go to Dimitri and Dimka. I had ignored her the entire few days she had been here. She kept trying to start a conversation. I would answer in the shortest answer possible, limiting myself to either yes or no, if the question allowed. After a while, she had given up. I wondered if I was too hard on her. For years, I wanted my mother to pay attention to me, and now she finally was, and I was turning my back on her. But I couldn't help shake the feeling she wasn't here to see me but to simply keep an eye on me.

I hadn't been able to swallow my pride and ask her about the markings. She had reiterated her plea to stop me from talking about the markings to anyone. So far I hadn't told anyone, not even Lissa.

After my mother left, I had spent all my free time in the palace library to search any reference to my markings, but so far no luck.

"What are you doing, Rose?"

I looked up to see a confused Lissa with her hands on her hips looking down on me. I was sitting on the floor of the library with my legs to the side and books all around me.

I sighed. I didn't want to lie to Lissa. She was my best friend. But I wondered if she would want a freak to protect her after she learns fire brings out these weird markings on my skin.

But Lissa had resources I did not. Maybe I didn't have to tell her the whole truth.

I picked up the sketch that had landed in a heap of books and handed it to her. She sat down gracefully across from me with her legs to the side and her skirt perfectly draped across her legs. She even took the time to brush the imaginary dust from her dress.

"I saw these markings in Dimitri's cave. I was wondering what they were."

Okay, so not a complete lie. I had seen these markings when I was in Dimitri's cave. They just weren't on the cave walls.

She raised her eyebrows, no doubt because I was spending an awful amount of time researching something from somebody else's house.

"Why not just ask him?"

I smirked at her.

"Now where is the fun in that?"

"Honestly, Rose, snooping around your boyfriend's home."

She shook her head and tsked me. I had to giggle at her use of the word boyfriend. Then a large smile came across her face, and I saw her eyes twinkle.

"I am in."

I giggled. Lissa was such a sucker for snooping and gossip.

But her enthusiasm lasted until about an hour later when her legs started to cramp, and her back was starting to hurt.

"There has to be a better way to do this. This is getting us nowhere."

I knew she was right. I needed a place to start, I needed a hint, an inkling, anything because otherwise, we would have to go through every single book in here with no guarantee that we would find anything.

I groaned but didn´t argue with her.

"I hear there was this merchant in town that specialized in rare objects and such. Maybe we can ask him?"

I wasn't too keen on that. If somebody knew about these markings, they probably knew they would appear on somebody's skin and not on a wall. But maybe he had some rare books which would mention the markings without knowing something about them.

"Sure Liss, we can try."

She practically jumped up and down and clapped her hands together. This would mean a trip to town, and that also meant shopping. This was always fun for Lissa, but not so fun for those that were sworn to protect her.

Our town wasn't small, but couldn't be called a city either. It had a reasonable shopping district, and Lissa came there often. Her money kept half the place going, so they were always eager to accommodate her for any of her needs. It also meant they all kept an eye out. If Lissa were harmed while there, she wouldn't be able to go there again.

It didn't take long to organize a shopping party. Alberta and I would be close by Lissa for her protection, and several other handmaidens came to carry bags or to bring refreshments for Lissa on the way. Also, and Alberta and I never discussed this but we both knew it was the truth, several handmaidens were arranged around Lissa in such a way that they would be hit first if it came to that. They didn't know, and officially neither did we, but we knew enough to know that Lissa's uncle, Prince Viktor, had arranged it like that. He had even included a handmaiden that looked like Lissa as a distraction.

Viktor had taken over Lissa's care and political responsibilities when her parents and brother died a few years ago. She was heir to this state. Viktor was grooming her as best as he could to take over when she was of age, but I don't think Lissa really wanted that kind of responsibility. And to be honest, I don't think Viktor was very keen to give his power up. He wasn't unreasonable, and most of the time he was even kind. But there was something behind his eyes; I couldn't quite place that made me dislike him.

After we had arranged the horde of girls, which was no easy feat, we headed to the town center. Lissa was bombarded with merchants trying to sell her their best items, of course for their best price. Lissa being the kind gentle person she was took time with each merchant to inspect their goods and decide on what she wanted. She never haggled for the lowest price, but she would never overpay either. She said she deserved to pay what an item was worth. The funny things was that after they had agreed on a price which was reasonable, she would always throw in a little extra. She didn't want to pay more because she could afford it. She said it made her feel taken advantage of, but she also wanted to give where she could.

After three new scarfs, a dress, and a bracelet, we finally made it to the stand of the new merchant. The guy who was supposedly an expert in rare objects and information.

When the man looked up from the book he had been reading his eyes landed on me. I found it strange they wouldn't have lingered on Lissa first. She was the one he wanted to convince to buy his stuff. But he never even noticed her, or any of the other girls. He only seemed to have eyes for me.

Now I was used to men ogling me, but this wasn't like that. The man was older, maybe in his forties and had a little salt and pepper going on. But he definitely took me in, head to toe. His expression was hard to read. He seemed shocked, overwhelmed and maybe wishful?

I wondered what kind of information the guy would have. He looked like a pirate. He wore gaudy jewelry way too big for his hands, and his outfit was brightly colored. The colors were a stark contrast to his black hair and beard and his equally dark eyes.

It took him a moment to compose himself before he introduced himself to Lissa and me.

"My name is Abe Mazur; please let me know if I can be of any assistance."

He had directed those words to Lissa, realizing it must have been rude to ignore her, but it felt like he was offering his help to me. I felt strangely at ease around the man even though I recognized this was a man not to be trifled with. I could practically feel the power radiating off of him. I could feel Alberta tense behind me and noticed the other girls weren't really comfortable around him, but I was the opposite. I felt completely at ease around him.

"Hello, Mister Mazur. My friend and I wondered if you might be able to help solve a mystery?"

He seemed intrigued by Lissa's words, but his eyes never left mine.

"A mystery. Can't be much of a mystery if it is shared amongst so many ladies. Three can keep a secret when two of them are dead. I think that number goes down when the female fraction goes up."

I smiled. He wasn't wrong. Girls gossiped about everything, and I didn't trust these girls with the markings anyway. He seemed to have accurately detected the sensitivity of the information.

"Please, Lady Dragomir, let's discuss this in private. Of course, your most trusted handmaiden may accompany you."

Alberta looked positively green about leaving Lissa alone with me and a shady merchant but Lissa waived her off, too excited about the prospect of juicy information.

We walked inside his tent, which offered us a little privacy. He had dismissed his guards, all but one. The fact he even had guards told me I was right to judge him as a powerful man.

"So, what can I do for you?"

Lissa looked over to me, and I hesitated for a moment. My mother had specifically said not to trust anyone with information about these markings, and I doubt she would have been okay with me telling a shady stranger who lived off of information. But when I looked at him, I did trust him. I couldn't explain it, but I handed him the piece of paper with the sketch. Sink or swim. I needed to know why I had those and I wasn't getting far on my own. So I had to ask for help from somewhere. And yes, asking help from a complete stranger seemed like a much better idea than asking my mother.

He took the sketch from me and let his eyes wander over the paper.

What I found strange was that he didn't seem to be looking very hard or thinking where he might have seen such markings. He didn't even seem surprised that these markings were on this paper. Had he known we would come to see him about this?

He handed the paper back to me.

"What is it you want to know?"

He wasn't talking to Lissa. As a matter of fact, he seemed to be ignoring her all together again. Most people would have assumed it was Lissa who asked the question and I, as a handmaiden, had simply carried the paper around. But Abe seemed to realize I was the one asking.

"What are those?"

"It is a binding spell. The spell binds Dragon magic."

There seemed to be a hidden message in his words, but I couldn't decipher it. It was like I was still missing a piece of the puzzle. Like I could almost hear his voice telling me who I was but all I could see was his lips moving and no sound coming out.

Why would a spell that binds dragon magic be on me? Did Dimka place it there? Some sort of protection spell or something? But why would my mother know about this? This just didn't make any sense. But maybe this wasn't about Dimka. After all, Dimka wasn't the first Dragon that saved me. Maybe the black Dragon had cast this spell on me. But I was human? Why use a spell that binds Dragon magic? Maybe Dragon magic leaves a trace on a human. And it was his way of covering his tracks.

"Oh, that made sense. Dimitri must have placed it to keep Dimka from burning the place down," Lissa said very cheerfully.

I saw Abe's eyes narrow at the mention of Dimitri.

"You have a Dragon friend, now do you?"

Lissa started to giggle.

"She was saved by a Dragon, and he took her to a human friend of his, Dimitri."

Now, the words in and of themselves weren't at all incriminating. It was her tone and how she dragged out Dimitri that gave a hint to what Dimitri meant to me.

Abe narrowed his eyes further, and I wondered what had triggered the response. Maybe he wasn't a fan of Dragons? But I had a feeling he reacted more to Lissa's suggestion of Dimitri and me being more than just friends.

He seemed to compose himself as he straightened up and plastered a pleasant but fake smile on his face.

"This Dimitri fellow seems to know his spells. I would like to meet him someday."

The way he said it made me believe he meant that he would like to string him up and beat him bloody someday.

"Thank you for your time, Mr. Mazur, I appreciate it."

I picked up a few coins from Lissa's purse and stretched him my hand out to him. But he refused.

"No. No, I couldn't possibly. It would be a crime to take money from two beautiful ladies such as yourselves. You have already paid me with your presence."

I rolled my eyes, and Lissa giggled. He surely was a smooth talker; I would give him that.

His charming façade made way for a serious look again although the smile stayed on his face.

"If there is anything I can do for you, anything at all, please don't hesitate to contact me. I will be in town for a while."

I nodded my head in understanding and let Lissa out of his tent. Relief washed over Alberta's face, and we made it safely back to the palace.

On the way back to the palace, Lissa was dragging her feet as she looked around all the faces of the people she would eventually rule. It wasn't until we were back in the safe confines of the palace she voiced her thoughts.

"Rose, can I ask you something?"

She had stopped walking, and I turned around to look at her.

"Of course, Liss, you can ask me anything."

"And you will be completely honest with me, even if I won't like the answer?"

She crossed her arms defiantly, daring me to say no. Lissa was sweet and kind, but she didn't handle criticism well. So I was dreading the question, knowing she expected an honest answer.

"Of course, now what is on your mind?"

"Do you think I will make a good ruler?"

I was a little shocked at the question. There seemed to be hope in her eyes that I would answer she was, but there was also self-knowledge and with that self-doubt. Lissa wasn't like other Royals. She generally cared for her subjects and couldn't care less about the power she wielded. But she understood her responsibility and the weight that came with it. She was asking if I thought she could carry it. Lissa had a tendency towards depression and melancholy when things didn't go her way, and I knew taking on her responsibility in a few months' time as the leader of this region was weighing heavilly on her. She asked me to be honest, and I would be.

"I think you have the heart to make the right decisions for your people and have their best interest at heart… I also think you are one of the few ruling heads of state that does, and other people will take advantage of that. You are naïve when it comes to political games, and I fear you will be overrun."

She nodded. I imagine she had come to the same conclusion.

"But that is okay, Liss, you don't need to know everything. Viktor can help you with the political stuff, and I'll be there to give every Royal a piece of my mind for taking liberties with your kindness. You don't have to do that alone."

She bit her bottom lip and looked down to the ground.

"Well, that is just the thing. I am not sure I want Viktor to help me. He deserves some rest and to spend time with his daughter Natalie. He has already done so much. Besides, he has been doing this for years. There are changes I want to make, and I am afraid he will stop me from making them."

She was starting to swirl her foot on the stone floors of the palace halls. I wondered if she was waiting for my reaction or wanted to get her own thoughts in order first.

"I was kind of thinking of forming a council to help me. Some Royals would have to be included, but I also wanted to have some people from the town and some of the farmlands surrounding us. I want everyone to be represented. I know I don't know much about what farmers or merchants need, but they do. They can tell me, and together we can make it better for everyone."

I just stared at her. It was brilliant and revolutionary and thoughtful and would be met with major resistance from Royals. They would lose their monopoly on interfering with governing affairs, and I doubted that would go over well.

It also meant that Dimitri's and my time now came with a deadline. Lissa being in this town, mostly behind the walls of the palace with no real voice, made her less of a target. If she went through with this, it would mean that she would need around the clock protection. But I couldn't be anything but supportive of this idea. This could improve the lives of everyone.

A large smile came across my face in a show of support for her idea.

"That is brilliant Lissa. I am sure that will make a huge difference. But I must warn you; not everyone would like this new development. So you need to know what you are getting yourself into. I will be there every step of the way to protect you with my life, but you will be putting yourself at more risk."

She nodded.

"I know. But this idea is worth fighting for."

I couldn't do anything else but hug her. I wondered how Viktor was going to take this. He wasn't a bad ruler per se. He cared about the people he governed. But I also knew he wanted the power that came with it. If Lissa sent him home to his daughter, I wondered how he would take it. I assumed that he wouldn't go without a fight.


	13. Chapter 13

DPOV

Sunday came quick enough, and I was looking forward to seeing Rose. The last few days had been challenging. I had sent out scouts to patrol the area and inform me of any changes, and I had ordered the military in a state of readiness that we could leave at a moment's notice. But there wasn't much else we could do now but wait.

I always hated this bit. The calm before the storm. You couldn't quite relax and go about your business, but you weren't in the adrenaline rush of battle either. The in-between was hard, but right now it was necessary. I didn't want to unleash a war I didn't have to.

So for the last few days, I had been running scenarios in my head and studying maps of the region. But Rose would be a nice distraction to all of this. Even though this would probably be the last time I would get to see her. The situation could change at any moment, and I needed to be ready.

I was debating meeting her while human or Dragon. Being human meant we would probably make-out some, but she was usually more open with my Dragon form.

I was also debating telling her about the Dragon magic binding spell. If this was the last time we would see each other, I wanted her to know what they were, even if I had no explanation of how they got there.

I had been deep in thought on the sundeck when Rose approached. I guess the choice was made for me. Dragon form it is.

She sat herself under my chin and leaned against my chest. She scooted my claws apart so there was a little space between them for her to sit. She actually nuzzled a little closer to me. Rose was so comfortable around me. She was treating me like a giant teddy bear. I wasn't as fluffy, so I wondered why Rose found me so comfortable.

She was silent for a while, and so was I. There was something magical about this moment. Maybe because it was just the two of us. But more likely because neither of us wanted this to end, and I knew I would have to inform Rose of the possibility that I would be called away at a moment's notice. Why she stayed silent, I didn't know. Perhaps she had sensed it in me.

She shifted a bit and started to trace my scales. I was surprised how her small fingers could elicit such a pleasant feeling by simply tracing them. Normally they aren't very sensitive, but as she was running her fingers over them, inspecting every detail as if it was precious gold, I felt every brush, every trace, and every delicate touch.

"What happened here?"

Her fingers had found the scar beneath my scales. The scales themselves had me protected from the worst of the damage, but there were two or three scales that had been slashed through, and the skin beneath it was scared for life. I had barely survived, and the scar on my chest was a bitter reminder how brutal the war with the Snow Dragons could become.

"Battle."

She laughed.

I tensed for a moment. That had been my response as human as well. And of course, she had traced the exact same scar when I was in my human form. I hoped she wouldn't be putting that together. Because of the different anatomy of a human and Dragon, it meant the scar was in a slightly different place, and my scales obscured most of it. But still.

"What kind of battle?"

I was going to have to tell her eventually that I was going to leave because of the Snow Dragons, so I might as well tell her about them now.

"A battle against Snow Dragons a few decades back. They are our mortal enemy and vicious creatures. Snow Dragons despise fire. They are also more ferocious. Fire Dragons have a governing structure like humans do. We are civil and cooperate with each other. Generally speaking, we want a nice peaceful life with a good cow every now and then. Snow Dragons are different. They live for the hunt and the kill. They are only interested in blood. They are stronger than us, but they are disorganized. Because their needs are so primal and violent, they don't play well together. Even their appearance screams bloodlust. They are white as snow, but with blood red eyes. They are brutal to fight against. Their fangs are at least twice as long as ours and can rip anything apart. We have superior military training and numbers, but we need every last one of us to keep the Snow Dragons at bay. Although our fire helps with that as well. But they give back as good as they get when they freeze us."

"I never knew Dragons like that existed."

I was glad because if she had, she would probably be dead. No human could survive an encounter with a Snow Dragon. Fire Dragons may have given up eating humans a while back, but Snow Dragons had not.

"They mostly stay in the Icelands far from here. Not many people live there because the terrain is rather inhospitable."

She took the information in and returned to her original task of stroking my scales. I had to restrain myself from moaning at her touch.

"What about this one? This one is strange; it doesn't look like a battle wound."

It wasn't. I had many battle marks on my body, most of them small scars made by blades or claws, but that was the one exception.

"It is a Dragon pock scar."

She scrunched up her nose and looked at me confused. I couldn't hide my smile when I saw her face.

"It is like smallpox but for Dragons. Humans are unaffected. There was an outbreak about eight years ago. It can be lethal, mostly for hatchlings and older Dragons. I got pretty sick but survived with only a few minor scars as a result. We have some medication that works in some cases, and I responded just fine."

She still looked confused. Then she started to shake her head.

"Funny, I never realized that Dragons could get sick too."

I laughed. Of course we could, we were mortal. Yes, we were much stronger and lived much longer than humans, but eventually, we too were mortal and could get diseases and get killed or simply age and die.

"What about this one."

She pointed to another scar, and then another and another. Most of my answers consisted of 'I got them in battle' or 'I got them in training.'

After a few scars, she started to chuckle.

"So you are a soldier then. Otherwise, you tend to be attracted to battle way too much."

I shook my head, half smiling.

"Roza, I am a General."

She put her hands to her chin and seemed to mull that over.

"Is that why you and Dimitri are such good friends? Because you both have seen so many battles and both command armies?"

I tensed at her words. I suppose that was a logical conclusion from this information. Much more logical than the truth that Dimitri and I were the same person.

"I suppose. We certainly understand each other."

Yeah well, I didn't understand myself very well right now. Rose tended to do that to me. Suddenly I felt very uncomfortable in her presence. I wanted to get away from her before I told her everything and ruin what could be our last moments together.

"Uhm, I have to go..to…umh catch some lunch or something."

I bristled my wings, and Rose stood up from her comfortable spot to give me some room to do so.

She was standing in front of me, and she looked like she wanted to ask me something.

"Uhm, Dimka?"

Her hands were behind her back, and she was biting her bottom lip. She was balancing on the balls of her feet, and her eyes were large and pleading, looking straight up at me.

"I have wanted to ask you something for a while now."

I took in a deep breath. Did she suspect the truth? What could she possibly want from me?

"Can I… I mean if you don't mind… Can I ride you?"

My mind came up with a million images when I heard that, but it took me a moment to realize that she was asking if she could fly with me. Funny, that is not what we were doing in those images. In those, a sweaty and moaning Rose was moving up and down on top of me as her own movements brought her to new heights, bringing me along in the process.

I shook my head, trying to clear it of the images. I noticed Rose was still standing there with hope in her eyes but also fear I would turn her down. I should turn her down. I needed to get away from her not have her straddle me and keep herself steady by squeezing her thighs tightly against my back.

"Okay."

She practically jumped up and down in excitement.

"But only for a minute. I really need to eat something, and I can't do that with you on my back."

She nodded vigorously, grateful for any time I was willing to let her ride me.

"And I am not a horse. You don't ride Dragons, you fly with them."

She practically rolled her eyes at me at my wounded pride. She shrugged.

"Sure, sure."

I narrowed my eyes at her which only made her giggle, but lowered my body so she could climb on. Once she was securely seated, I opened my wings, and with one giant push down I took to the air. Rose squealed, but it was one of excitement not of fear. I would have to give her credit for that. Not many other humans would have been able to do that. Many would have pissed themselves by now.

I leveled off when we were high in the skies and simply glided along on a leisurely pace.

"Everything looks so small from here. Does it look small for you too?"

"I am a Dragon, everything is small compared to me, whether I am high up, or down below. And no, I have better eyesight, so I can see things on the ground more clearly."

I felt her bend down a bit as if looking down at the small town below.

"For instance, that merchant has a blue shirt."

She seemed to be staring at it for a while.

"I think that is purple, are Dragons color blind?"

Actually, we saw colors a bit more vividly than humans, but she shouldn't be able to see the man at all, let alone correct me in what color shirt he could be wearing.

"You know, it isn't very smart to keep insulting the Dragon that is currently keeping you from crashing to your death."

She giggled and petted me again.

"You are so sensitive. Big Dragon, but a little heart."

I rolled my eyes. She only keeps making it worse. In retribution, I spinned around, the momentum of the turn keeping her from falling off. Besides if she did, I would have been able to catch her with my claw.

She squealed again. Now it was of surprise, but still no fear. Once we had leveled off, she started laughing.

"Oh, do that again!"

Oh, she liked it rough, huh? So I rotated around my axes again and was met with a similar squeal. I decided she could handle a bit more, and started to dive down toward the side of the mountain, pressing my wings close to my body to make speed.

She pressed herself close against me but never asked me to stop. Her arms were wrapped around my neck as far as she could, and I felt those thighs pressing against my romp.

I leveled off a few feet above the ground and slowly started to make the ascent back towards the skies.

She didn't right herself again, and I began to wonder if I'd hurt her, or maybe she passed out from the dive.

"Roza?"

"Hmm."

"Are you okay?"

"I am great, just enjoying you. You are so warm and big. I wish I could stay like this forever."

Her head was comfortable resting at the base of my neck, and her arms were wrapped around me. Her legs were positioned just behind my shoulder blade and the bone connecting my wing to my body. I felt her entire body relax as it was pressed against me. At this moment I felt closest to her. Something so simple as enjoying a flight together. Maybe it was because I knew this was one experience Dimitri couldn't give her. And I was glad I could give her some joy while being Dragon. But reality soon brought me back from dreams of Rose flying with me into the sunset.

"We should go back. I know you didn't come to see me."

I felt Rose straighten up from her position on her back.

"I come to see both of you. I like spending time with you Dimka."

I was glad to hear that, but I needed to tell her I probably wouldn't be around much longer and I think it would be better if she heard it from me in my human form.

I flew us back the short distance to the cave and landed on the sundeck. I laid down so Rose could get off. She stepped in front of me, so we were face to face. She took my snout and brought it down, so my snout was level with her head. Her hands on the side of my cheek felt amazing. She placed a gentle and soft kiss on top of my snout.

"Thank you. That was amazing. Now go get your lunch."

I smiled and took off into the distance and saw her walk inside the cave. I decided I did need a good piece of horse or cow before I would return to my human self.

After my belly was fully satisfied, I was hovering near the cave entrance that was covered by the waterfall. I flew inside and checked to see if Rose wasn't in there before I let the flames engulf me and turn scale into skin as I transformed back to my human form.

When I walked in after I had put on some clothes I saw Rose had just finished lunch herself.

I loved how comfortable she was here that she would just help herself to whatever I had lying around. When she spotted me, her face lit up with a genuine smile.

"Hi. I didn't know if you would need lunch too, but I was starving, so I decided to go ahead and eat, but I can make you something if you are hungry?"

I walked over towards her and pulled her close to me as I kissed her hair.

"Thanks, but I just ate."

Absentmindedly, I touched the sides of my lips to see if I still had cow's blood on there, but I had washed it all off. I usually cook my meat, even in Dragon form I roast it with my flame, but sometimes a Dragon needs a raw and bloody piece of cow to get him through the day.

She pulled back a little so she could look up to me. I didn't know what she was doing exactly but she was transfixed by my face, and I thought I detected a hint of sadness in her eyes. It was like her feelings mirrored my own. I was looking down at her and was committing every detail of her to memory. Her silky hair, her smooth tanned skin, how her hair consisted of a thousand colors of brown and how her eyes reflected love for me.

I wanted that moment to last forever, but it wasn't meant to be. I needed to let her know that this might be the last time I saw her. I needed her to know I would be going into battle soon, and I didn't know when I would be back. If I would be back.

I took a deep breath, and so did she. My lips parted to let the words pass, and I noticed hers had too.

"We need to talk."

We both said at the same time.

I chuckled but found no humor in this. She looked down with half a smile on her face.

"You first," I said as I gestured towards her.

She looked nervous and started to pace around the kitchen.

"It's Lissa. She is doing something very brave, and I support her a hundred percent, but she is also putting herself in even more danger. So I need to be with her."

I saw she was fighting hard to keep the emotion out of her voice but failing miserably. We both knew exactly what more time with Lissa meant. Less time with me.

She sat down on the kitchen bench, her hands tucked between her legs.

"I don't want to leave you, but I would never forgive myself if something happened to her and I was here with you. I just don't know how I can be with you both."

I smiled softly as I sat down next to her. I took her hands in mine and placed them on my lap. Rose was such a good person. In a way, she reminded me of myself. She always put her duty first, even before her own happiness.

"I understand. I wish it were different, but I understand. She needs you."

She nodded but wasn't convinced of my words, or perhaps she simply regretted their truth.

I was silent for a little while. Neither of us knew what to say. I was rubbing circles on her hand, and this simple gesture seemed to be enough to tether her to this moment. A moment where we could still be together and where what we wanted and made us happy, mattered.

She took a deep breath and looked my way.

"You wanted to say something too?"

Oh yeah, right. Rose wasn't the only one that had other duties. I looked down at my hands. I had stopped the circling motion on her hand but still held onto it.

"My army has been called into a state of readiness. I don't know how long I will be able to stay here either. I have scouts ascertaining the threat, but it doesn't look good."

I sat back a little looking at the ceiling of the cave I had called my own for the last few decades. Ever since the last time we had to squash a Snow Dragon incursion. Ever since Ivan. I had first started coming here to get away from everybody and be alone. It isn't strange for a Dragon to live in seclusion, but I had certainly taken it to extremes. But somewhere in that time, I had started to call this place home, and I had found some peace here. And as I looked over to the dark angel sitting next to me, I couldn't deny anymore that this is the place I fell in love. I would have happily made a home for Rose and me here. I know she loves it here too. But I would have to part with this cave soon, and I would have to part with her too. I knew that when the war was over and I was still alive, even if it was a few decades, I could come back here. But I knew that wasn't true for Rose. She didn't have time to wait for me as this cave would.

"I have to leave soon too," I finally managed to say.

I was afraid to look over to Rose. I didn't know what I would see in her eyes or what I would feel, but I knew she would probably look sad. Mournful. I imagined a million different emotions on her face, but when I finally had the courage to look her way, I saw none of them. I saw determination and lust.

She didn't hesitate and pressed her lips to mine as she repositioned herself on my lap. She pulled herself up on my neck as she laced her fingers in my hair. I moved my hands down her back and on her hip to lock her in place. My mouth devoured hers as if I would never have the chance again, and honestly, that would probably be the case. Based on her current behavior, Rose had a similar train of thought. If we only had this moment, we would take full advantage of it.

I knew this would probably be the only time we would be able to be together. I wanted more than just this moment in time, but I knew I couldn't, so I would enjoy it while it lasts. I would feel every brush of her lips, remember every touch of her fingers. If all we had was now, I would remember every inch of her body and memorize every emotion on her face.

I undid the laces on the back of the dress. She didn't stop me. She just pushed herself flush against me to give me better access. I had long infiltrated her mouth with my tongue and was currently in the exploit of conquering more skin down her neck and collarbone. I had loosened the laces enough so I could lower the dress over her shoulders, exposing more skin for me to explore.

I was trailing deeper and deeper into her cleavage, and Rose threw her head back, giving me better access. She was working hard to rid me of my shirt. I had to release the hold my lips had on her skin and was strangely reluctant to do so. But I pulled back a little so she could lift the shirt over my head. On the way back our eyes locked. I tried to detect any sort of hesitance or doubt. After all, this would be her first time, and we probably wouldn't see each other again. I would understand if she had doubts. But I found none. Her eyes reflected only love.

I stood up and easily held onto Rose as I did so. She was so light in my arms, I barely felt she was there - even if her emotional load was weighing me down significantly,

She wiggled out of my arms and stood back on the ground. I wondered if she had changed her mind, but still, no doubt registered in her eyes, but a new emotion was added to them. Mischief.

She took a few steps back, but the sway in her step told me she wasn't pulling away from me.

She slowly, agonizingly slowly, shifted her dress further over her shoulders and upper arms until it fell in a heap on the floor, exposing what lay beneath. The bodice still supporting and concealing her breasts and an undergarment was still covering the rest, but even then, I could feel myself stir as I knew I was probably the first man to see her so exposed.

She wasn't done, by the look of the smile on her face.

She started to undo the laces of her bodice. After all of them had been undone, the fabric fell away exposing her chest, her perfect, supple, naturally tan breasts. She took a few steps further towards the bedroom and rounded the corner. When she held up her undergarment around the bend. I followed like a puppy.

When I made my way into the bedroom, my mouth went dry and my heart rate went up. I could feel my heart desperately pumping in my chest, trying to distribute as much blood to my brain as it still could, since my body had directed most of it south.

She lay naked on my bed, she was supporting her weight on her elbows, and her leg was slightly draped over her other, obscuring her most private place.

I took off my own pants and saw her eyes widen when she took me all in. It held excitement, nervousness and a little bit of fear.

I moved on my hands and knees over the bed towards her. She let herself rest on the bed as I hovered over her. One of my legs had made its way into her inner sanctum and was resting comfortably there. I bent down and kissed her gently. I would need to take it slow. I pulled back and took in every feature of her face as I brushed her hair away and draped it on the pillow.

"You are so beautiful, so beautiful it hurts sometimes."

She cupped my cheek and pulled me down towards her, pressing her lips to mine as her hands laced themselves into my hair. I roamed my hands over her naked body and simply relished in her soft skin and amazing curves. She was pressing her body against me and rocking her hips against my thigh. I could feel the evidence of her excitement on my thigh and no doubt she could feel the evidence of my own arousal.

I traced my way down from her lips to the skin on her neck and sucked on it. If her moans were any indication, she seemed to enjoy it.

"God, Dimitri, that feels so good."

"Roza."

Her body stilled, and I pulled back a little to see why she had suddenly frozen. Her eyes reflected shock and disbelief. I saw a million different questions in her eyes until I realized she had stumbled on the truth. I saw my whole world shatter in that moment. Because I knew what I had done wrong.

Only the Dragon called her Roza, and now she knew.

And I was screwed.


	14. Chapter 14

RPOV

"Roza."

My body felt like a bucket of snow had been dropped on it. Upon my reaction, Dimitri pulled back and for the first time, I seemed to see him. Not his pink skin, nor his silky hair. Not his lips or chin or even his eyebrows. I saw his eyes, and in that moment I knew the truth. Because I had seen those eyes on the Dragon. They were the same person. I didn't know how it was possible, but I knew.

I shook my head and backed away from him. From Dimitri, from Dimka, from whoever he was.

I had gotten up from the bed and dragged a sheet around myself trying to cover up what I had been so willing to give only a moment ago.

I saw fear and anguish in his eyes as I moved away. I knew he had feelings for me. I had seen it in his eyes, and now I understood the same emotion reflected in the eyes of the Dragon, but how could he do this?

"You lied to me. God, I am so stupid. Same scars, same life, the same living space. Even your names are similar. So what is it? Are you Dimitri? Are you Dimka? Are those even your real names or have you lied about that too?"

"No, Rose, my name is Dimitri. Dimka is short for Dimitri. My family calls me that."

Well at least he was honest about one thing. How refreshing.

I started to pace around the cave trying to sort my thoughts.

He got up from the bed, still stark ass naked as he moved towards me. Why did he have to look so good naked? And then I realized this was probably not even his real form. His true self was the Dragon. He probably cast some sort of spell on himself so he could look human in my presence.

"Don't come near me," I practically sneered at him. It wasn't just about him lying to me. I had been having some mixed feelings about Dimka and Dimitri. I loved Dimitri, but I realized I loved Dimka too. But as a Dragon, I knew we could never be together. And now they were the same person. I should have been elated, but all I felt was betrayed.

"How could you? Both of you. I shared everything with the two of you, and you couldn't even tell me I was talking to the same person?"

I stormed out of there, taking my clothes with me. I couldn't be around him. I heard him pleading me to let him explain, but I couldn't hear it right now. There were too many things going on in my head.

He walked out of the bedroom as I was putting on my dress. He had wisely put his pants back on, but his shirt was in the kitchen, so he was still naked from the waist up. But I couldn't see the beauty of his human body, all I could see was the scar. The exact same scar Dimka had hidden beneath his scales. All I could see was the betrayal it represented.

"Roza, please."

I held up my hand to stop him from talking.

"Don't."

I moved to bottom of the cave where I had bound my horse to a tree.

He had picked up his shirt at least and moved down with me. He knew better than to try and convince me to stay, but his next words hit me deep.

"I love you, Roza. If you can believe nothing else, please believe that."

And I knew it was true. But that made his betrayal all the more painful. He might love me. But he didn't trust me.

But I was compelled to answer him with my own truth. A truth I had denied for a while because it would have complicated my life even more.

"I love you too. Both of you."

And with that, I gave my horse a jolt and rode away from him. From the only man I had ever loved. From the only man that had loved me for me. I almost laughed at the irony. He wasn't even a man at all. The only person who could love me was a Dragon.

I had ridden my horse hard and had made it back to the village and back to Lissa in record time. I had come into her room a little breathless. I didn't understand why, the horse had done most of the work, but still it felt like there wasn't enough air in this room.

Lissa saw my disheveled state and immediately stood up from her chair and dismissed the other handmaiden who had been beside her needle-pointing.

"What's wrong?"

I paced the room up and down because I didn't know what to say. I didn't have any secrets from Lissa, maybe except the markings. But I didn't know if this was my secret to share. I am sure Dimitri had reasons to keep from me that a Dragon could transform into a human, at least in the beginning. But how could I explain to Lissa how Dimitri had hurt me without telling her all the details of his betrayal. It came down to if I trusted Lissa with Dimitri's secret. I looked at her and found nothing but concern for me.

"Did something happen with Dimitri? I swear if he hurt you I will make sure he pays for it."

She had her hand balled up into a fist. She was waving it in front of her, and I had to laugh, because Lissa taking on Dimitri physically, was hilarious. Certainly, now that I knew he was a Dragon. Some of that strength would have transferred to his human form.

"He did hurt me Liss. But I know he also loves me. That is what is making this so hard."

I slumped down onto the couch and Lissa sat herself next to me, taking one of my hands into her own.

"Tell me."

I took a deep breath. I didn't even know where to start really.

"He is going to leave soon. His army has been called into a state of readiness."

I actually laughed when it hit me. His Dragon army. I wondered why I didn't know what kingdom he belonged to. He wore human clothes of a country far away. I understood now why he didn't have any colors of his own. Because Dragon's didn't have colors - they didn't wear clothes!

"I wanted him to be my first, Liss. I wasn't ready to let him go. I wanted him. I needed him. Even if we never saw each other again, I wanted him to have that piece of me."

I saw Lissa flinch. No doubt whatever she was imagining he had done it was a lot worse than lie to me.

"He called me Roza."

Lissa looked at me weird. She didn't understand how that would have been offensive in any way. And it wasn't. The way my name rolled off of his tongue and the 'R' rumbled in his chest, the way that one word was laced with so much emotion, it made me feel special. It was the most beautiful sound I ever heard. But now he had tainted it.

"Only the Dragon calls me Roza."

Lissa still wasn't catching up to me.

"Liss, they are the same person. Dimitri is the Dragon just in human form. I have no idea how he does it or what kind of spell he used. I wonder if those markings have anything to do with it, but he lied to me. He made me believe I was talking to two people when he was the same guy. I told the Dragon things about Dimitri and not once did he mention 'Oh, by the way, we are the same person.' I loved them both Lissa. I didn't know what to do with my feelings for the Dragon, but it was him. All him, and he never told me."

Lissa just held me as I silently let the tears fall.

"He didn't trust me enough to know the truth. He didn't care enough to tell me."

She could barely understand me as I was blubbering as I was saying it, but I don't think she needed to. She was there holding me and whispering comforting words to me.

"He told me he loved me."

She pulled back to look at me.

"When?"

"When I stormed off, stark naked from his bed and was yelling at him about lying to me."

She chuckled.

"Then I don't know why he didn't tell you because obviously he is telling the truth."

I was a lot more cynical.

"Or he just wanted to calm me down and get me back into bed to finish what we started."

Lissa raised an eyebrow.

"So you two didn't finish?"

I shook my head.

"We were in his bed, naked and well on our way, but he called me Roza before he could much more than kiss me."

I think I heard Lissa mumble 'what a shame' but chose to ignore it if she did.

"Maybe calm down for a few days and then have an actual conversation with him about this? I am sure he had his reasons for keeping it from you. I mean, I wouldn't tell people I was a Dragon on the first meeting either. They would run away screaming or call me crazy."

I nodded. She was probably right, and I could have almost believed her reasoning if I had never met the Dragon. But I did, and I made it clear I wasn't afraid. He should have told me right then and there who he was.

"I just don't know if I can trust him again. He lied to me about something pretty major. Who says he won't do it again?"

Lissa shrugged.

"I think I could live with a few lies if he were amazing in bed. How did it feel before he blew his cover?"

She was expectantly looking my way, but all I could do was stare. She was resting her head in the palms of her hands and imploring me to speak. I knew Lissa was a sucker for this kind of stuff. Of course, she hadn't had any experience herself. She was virtue incarnate, and she had to stay that way until she was wed, but she wanted to know everything there was to know about it, and by the noises coming from her room sometimes, I would say she was experimenting on her own a bit too.

I thought back to the few moments before he ruined everything. It had been amazing. A smile came across my face, and Lissa squealed. If I closed my eyes, I could still feel his lips on my neck and his hands on my bare back. I had felt his erection sticking into my thigh as he lay between my legs and I remember how desperate I had been to feel him inside of me. His sheer size had alarmed me but also excited me. I could feel heat traveling down to my core just thinking about it.

"It was amazing Lissa. He was gentle for such a big guy, and he didn't rush anything. If he had just kept his mouth shut, I would have been blissed out by now."

I was also a little bitter. Not just at Dimitri, but with myself. Was I overreacting? Maybe I should have let him explain. But then I remember the look on his face as he realized I knew the truth. He hadn't been willing to tell me at all. He was going to go back to his army and his duties letting me believe he was human.

"But it doesn't matter. We weren't going to be seeing each other anyway. He has responsibilities, and so do I. Maybe it was for the best this happened. Saved my virtue."

I knew I was full of shit and Lissa gave me a look that told me she believed that too.

"I need a bath."

I said as I got up from the couch. I need to wash away the events of today and get a clear head. But as I walked to the bathroom I shared with five other girls and the teeny tiny bathtub I was missing the lake already.

I shook my head. It didn't matter if he had told me from the start. It wasn't like we could play house together in that cave anyway. Our lives weren't our own. I belonged to Lissa, and he belonged to his duty as a General.

I wondered what enemies Dragons had. Who would they go to war for? I was beginning to think he made it up so he could rid himself of me when it dawned on me Dragons did have enemies. Other Dragons, Snow Dragons. Dimitri would be fighting Snow Dragons.

The Icelands were a long way away from here, and I am sure Lissa and I would be safe here. Besides I didn't care what happened to a lying bastard like Dimitri.

An image of a dead Dragon body with dull brown eyes as blood flowed out of him came to mind, but I squashed that image away. I didn't know anything about Dragons, including if they had red blood or not. Because in all that time, neither of them had mentioned any specifics.

I had been hauling warm water for a while before I finally was able to take my bath. The lake was fed from an underground source, and the waterfall made sure the water was refreshed. So you always had a warm fresh bath ready for you whenever you wanted.

I slid myself into the bath and just let the warmth engulf me and wash away my thoughts.

I needed to get my act together. In a few months, Lissa would be eighteen, and she would implement her plan to rule with advisors from all walks of life. I didn't have time to dwell on my emotional connection with Dimitri. I had needed him to teach me, and if he was going to war, it meant he was no longer of any use to me. So I needed to move on. I needed to focus on Lissa and keep up with my training. I would have to talk to Alberta to schedule some more training sessions so she could ascertain if Dimitri's teachings had helped. I needed to be ready.

I was determined to put Dimitri out of my mind and fully focus on Lissa, but my mind kept wandering back to those moments only hours ago. And strangely enough, it wasn't the memory of his betrayal that kept making an appearance in my head. It was the moments just before. I felt my core throb with an unsatisfied need that he had unleashed on me. I had never felt anything like it. Sure I had been turned on, and I had even experimented a bit myself when I would find that rare moment of privacy, but this was different.

My body had overidden my mind, and I couldn't do anything but follow its instructions. I wondered what it would have felt like if he had touched me down there. Subconsciously, or perhaps with great intent, my hand traveled down my stomach to my core. I ran my fingers across the top and gasped. I was so sensitive down there. Usually, it took a little while to get to that point. I let my fingers explore the region. The nub on top was so sensitive, every time I flicked my fingers across it I felt a bolt of lightning run along my body. When I traveled further down and found my folds, I noticed they were already slick not just from the bathwater but with something more mucinous. I threw my head back on the rim of the bathtub as a finger slid inside. If the image of Dimitri could already bring me so close, I could only imagine what he could do in real life. I alternated with rubbing my sensitive nub at the top with slipping in and out of my wet folds. I wondered if Dimitri ever pleasured himself. I wondered if he had thought of me when he did it. I was trying to imagine anyone else as I continued, but only his face came to mind. Only his hands were covering mine as I was sliding in and out and I imagined only his cries of pleasure and words of love as he entered me in my daydream.

Did he do the same? Was he now in his bed trying to alleviate the sexual tension that had been built up from our earlier session but was unable to find its release because he had to open his damn mouth? I started to imagine Dimitri on the bed with his hard cock in his hands, moving his hands up and down.

I had seen a man do it once when I was younger. I had stayed and watched from the shadows with great interest as I saw a guard that had just come off duty pleasure himself to relieve some tension. He had dropped his pants slightly, and I was surprised when he took himself in his hands, and he began to grow. His cock had looked hard in his hands and after only a few moments of stroking it rapidly his face had grimaced in ecstasy and his body had jerked and released a white substance. When I had asked the girls about it, they said many men do it if they don't have a wife and cannot find a woman for the night. Apparently, the getting hard was part of the process and the white stuff had been the man's seed.

Was Dimitri's cock hard in his hand now? Did he whisper my name as he was stroking himself? Did he imagine filling me as I imagined him doing the same?

I noticed the feeling building. That familiar coil tightening low in my abdomen. I tried to get him out of my head before I climaxed but whenever I would stop thinking about Dimitri the feeling would subside, so I considered him a necessary evil right now. At least he was good for something. I picked up the pace in the homestretch. I imagined Dimitri moving furiously on top of me as he moved in and out of me and when I imagined Dimitri climaxing, I was lost. The orgasm had built and built, and when I finally let go, I shattered into a million pieces due to the intensity of the orgasm.

I had to catch my breath as I lay in the bathtub. I opened my eyes and cursed.

The markings had returned and why was the water hotter all of a sudden? There wasn't a fire nearby. What was happening? I took a few calming breaths and as my orgasm subsided from my body so did my markings.

"Rose, Rose are you alright?"

Lissa practically barged in, and I tried covering myself up a bit. I didn't know why - we had seen each other naked a lot of times, but somehow I didn't want her to see the markings. When I noticed they were gone, and she didn't see them, I relaxed a bit.

"Yeah, I am fine, why?"

"I heard you curse."

There was a sly, knowing smile across her face.

"After I heard you do other things."

She giggled, and I just groaned as I slid deeper into the bathtub. Well, I had heard Lissa a couple of times, so why be embarrassed?

My motion made some of the bathwater slid over the rim, and I heard Lissa yelp. Some of the water had gotten on her, but it wasn't the fact that she got wet that made her yelp. She seemed to be in pain.

"Rose, that water is boiling, how can you sit in it?"

I saw a small mark on her skin where the water had hit her, and sure enough it was red. It wouldn't be a full burn wound, but she would feel it for a day or two.

When I looked down at the water, I could see the steam coming off of it. The water was just shy of boiling, but I didn't feel it. I didn't burn. As a matter of fact I think it was the best bath I have had in a long time.

What was happening to me?


	15. Chapter 15

DPOV

With a heavy heart, I left the cave behind. Not just because I was needed more at Court now and it would be best if I stayed in my allocated chambers there, but I knew Rose wouldn't be coming back, so what was the point of staying.

Rose, my Roza. She had been on my mind constantly, occupying my mind during the day and haunting my dreams at night. I knew this would have been the most likely outcome, and yet I was surprised.

I had lied to her. And I had kept lying to her because I was afraid she would reject me. Well, she did, not because I was a Dragon, but because I hadn't told her I was. She had admitted to loving us both. Both. That is right. In her head, we had been two people. And somehow she had fallen in love with both of us. Somehow she had loved all of me unconditionally.

And I had screwed it up. I should have told her. I should have told her the moment she wasn't afraid of me. I would probably be lying with her in my arms right now after a night of heavy passion if I had. But I had been too afraid she would reject me. Too afraid to admit to myself how much she meant to me, and now she was gone.

It almost felt like losing Ivan. He had been such a large part of my life, and I loved him like a brother. After he died, I felt like I had died with him. I just couldn't imagine living my life without him. That was how it felt now, except she wasn't dead. She might as well be, though. She was inaccessible to me. No matter how I felt, maybe this way was better. It is probably easier for her to hate me than to love and miss me.

I landed in the courtyard with a scowl on my face. Nobody dared approach me. Good, I wasn't in the mood either. I would get an update report, and then I intended to brood the rest of the night in my chambers alone.

The report didn't have any additional news, and I was on my way to my chambers when I heard her voice. It had been a long time, but I wasn't in the mood right now, so I pretended I didn't hear her and kept walking.

"Dimka."

Crap, she was only a few feet away now. I couldn't possibly pretend I hadn't heard her, now. Maybe I could tell her I had sustained some hearing impairment in the last battle?

"Tasha. It's nice to see you. Here to see Christian?"

She nodded. Tasha was a pretty black Dragoness, she was smaller than me - almost everyone was -but she wasn't as petite as some female Dragons. Her entire body reflected the light from the torches, every bit except the spot where she was missing scales on the side of her face. She had a large scar on the side of her snout where a Snow Dragon had tried to bite her head off. She had fought valiantly and prevailed, but some were put off by her new appearance. I didn't mind. I think it reflected her will to live. But to me, it was also a reminder of Tasha's nature. She tended always to fight. She didn't seem to understand that sometimes, the best course of action was to wait or even run. You can't retaliate when you are dead. Sometimes biding time is a solid strategy. But a strategist, Tasha was not.

"So I heard Tatiana is keeping the army here, instead of marching toward the border. I heard about the destruction of that human village. That is a clear provocation. I think she is way too conservative; we should be attacking now before they have time to gather more strength."

Typical Tasha. I understood where she was coming from, but her actions were way too rash. They reminded me a little of a young Dragon eager to go into battle. But Tasha was a few decades older than me, yet she had no patience.

"Tasha. I agree with Tatiana. We need time to prepare, and I don't want to start a war I don't have to."

"Dimka, you can't be serious? They have been provoking us for far too long. We need to take the fight to them and take them out once and for all. We will never be safe if any of those Snow Dragons are alive."

I knew Tasha's dislike for Snow Dragons would probably exceed most. Snow Dragons had taken her entire village, and only she and Christian, her nephew, had survived. She had seen her brother and his wife killed by Snow Dragons, and she knew she and Christian would have been next.

But what she was suggesting was genocide, not to mention suicide. I had no love for Snow Dragons, and if they crossed the border or attacked citizens of Tatiana's reign we would have to act, and I would kill as many of them as I could. But going after them was plain crazy. We simply didn't have the manpower. Training soldiers took time, and training Dragon warriors took centuries. Tasha had been pleading for more Dragons like Christian and her to join the ranks. Dragons that had a particularly powerful flame, but didn't have the body or stamina to train as a Dragon warrior. I had discussed it with Tatiana, but she said she wasn't comfortable with the idea of Fire warriors. Our flames were probably the best defense against the Snow Dragons, but military men would lose some of their power and recognition, and some of the royals in Tatiana's court would probably have to join the ranks because their flame was strong.

I didn't mind either way. I didn't need recognition, so sharing it or losing it to powerful Fire Dragons, wasn't something that bothered me. But it would upset our current system, and I wondered if that was wise on the brink of war. But more and more people like Christian were beginning to see that they could contribute even if they hadn't gone through decades or centuries of training. Having one or two of those in a squad was well worth it.

But until Tatiana gave the okay, there was nothing I could do, and going on the offensive right now wasn't in our best interest. I would wait until we had no other choice.

"Tasha. We can't do much but wait right now. They haven't done anything yet, and I don't want to put us all through another war if I don't have to. Now, I have to ... uhm...go meet my mother."

"Oh sure, Dimka, Say hi to your mother for me. Maybe we can catch up while you are here?"

Did I imagine it, or was she flirting? Dragons weren't particularly subtle, and the way her claw was pressed against my breastplate led me to believe she was being very obvious about it. But my mind just didn't want to believe it, because any romantic actions from anybody else but Rose seemed impossible in my reality, now. It was like the possibility didn't even exist, and as I walked the distance to my chambers, that was the thought that plagued me. Even if there was no future with Rose, my mind wouldn't accept anyone else. That could be a problem. I never meant to claim anybody, but never having any children would destroy my mother.

I dragged my heavy, tired body over to my chambers, but I regretted coming back here the moment I walked into the room and saw Christian and Adrian sitting there waiting for me.

"Hey dude, my aunt is in town. She wants to meet up with you when you have time."

I sighed deeply as I rubbed the scales above my eyes.

"Yeah, I just saw her in the hallway."

Adrian's eyes narrowed, and I saw his brain work.

"You don't seem too happy about her attentions. I get it, I think she is a little pushy, but this wouldn't have anything to do with you still being hung up on that human girl would it?"

I groaned as I placed myself on the bed. I closed my eyes, but opened them immediately, because when I closed them, all I would see was her face.

"It doesn't matter now; I screwed up with her. I doubt she ever wants to see me again."

Adrian seemed genuinely interested, in contrast to normal when he would only listen to a story long enough to decide if it was worthy of being gossip.

"What happened?"

"She found out."

"She figured you were a Dragon and ran? I thought you said she wasn't afraid of Dragons."

"She isn't. She figured out I had been one person all this time, and was mad I hadn't told her. She got attached to both of us and was mad I hadn't trusted her with the truth about me."

"You mean to tell me she fell in love with the Dragon version too?"

Christian looked weirded out by Adrian's remark; like it was an impossibility. But Adrian's shrewd eyes had seen the truth, even if he hadn't even known Rose.

"Yes."

"And you love her too, don't you?"

I didn't want to say it. Not to them. But I knew Adrian knew the truth, so there was really no point in lying.

"Yes."

"That is fucked up, man."

I narrowed my eyes at Christian, but Adrian had a different reaction.

"That must be some girl. I have never seen you like this."

I couldn't help but smile as I thought about her.

"She is. She isn't like anybody I have ever met. She is funny and strong and so beautiful. There is something about her that just makes you instantly love her."

"But she is human. She has no business in the world of Dragons. The best you can do for her is let her go."

I thought about that. I knew both our lives would be simpler if I did, but I wasn't the first Dragon to pull her into our world. I wasn't the Dragon that had been watching her, or that had put a binding spell on her.

"She is already involved in the world of Dragons. I wasn't the first Dragon she encountered, and I think that the Dragon that protected her when she was little put a binding spell on her. I just don't know why. There is just something about Rose I cannot place."

I realized I should have told her about the spell. She deserved to know. And honestly, I wanted to know the truth about that too.

"A binding spell?"

Both Adrian and Christian were curious. Way too curious.

"Your grandmother. She was the one who put the spell on her," Christian declared.

I nodded.

"So she would know what is going on."

"She would, but she isn't going to say anything. I have to see Rose again. I have to explain about the markings; maybe she can fill in the blanks."

"Dimitri, I don't think seeing her again is such a good idea. You have to break clear of this girl, or she is going to destroy you."

Adrian was dead serious, and I knew it was true. Every time I saw Rose I was falling deeper and deeper in love with her. When was the point I wouldn't be able to let her go? When would my heart win over my head?

I closed my eyes, and I saw her again. Would I be able to spend my life not ever seeing her again? Could I carry on not ever touching her or having her in my life making derivative comments on being a Dragon?

No, I could not. I was already in too deep. Babushka's words came back to me. And for once in my life, I would follow my heart even if my head was screaming at me to let her go. But I simply couldn't. I was physically incapable. I needed to see her one more time, even if it was only to explain myself and to tell her about the spell. I wanted so much more, but it would be up to Rose to decide if she could forgive me and spend her short lifetime with a Dragon that doesn't age like she would and who might be dragged to war soon.

I felt strangely at peace when I had made the decision. Adrian seemed to have picked up on my decision and simply groaned. Christian looked confused, but Adrian picked him up and practically dragged him out of my chambers. There was something in Adrian's eyes I didn't like. He was up to something, but I didn't know what. But honestly, my plate was way too full right now to care.

"Cous, we will see you later. Don't do anything stupid, like proclaim your undying love for a human."

I rolled my eyes. One, because Adrian was being overdramatic as usual, and two because I had already done that. And she had said she had loved me back. All of me. But I had heard the pain of my betrayal in her voice, and I wondered if she would ever forgive me.

The next morning I had settled a few things here at court, checked the incoming reports, looked at the preparations being made and was satisfied I could make the two hour trip to Rose's town. I landed just outside the village and changed back to my human form and clothed myself to look like a local. I entered the village without any difficulties and made my way to the marketplace. The palace where Lady Dragomir lived was behind it. I would need to cross the market to get to Rose. I knew they wouldn't let me into the palace, so I had to get in myself and would probably need the cover of night to do it.

I walked across the market and looked at the goods on offer. Fabrics, food, general utilities. I saw a nice wood carving and was tempted to buy it. It would look attractive in the library. I wondered if Rose would like it. I shook my head. She would have to forgive me first before she ever stepped foot in that place again.

I moved further and further down until I stopped dead in my tracks. I could smell him before I could see him. You could always smell a Dragon even when he was in human form. I locked eyes with him, and I knew he had sensed me too. There was a smoky smell coming from all of us. I think humans had too weak a sense of smell to be able to detect it, but I certainly smelled it. Also, I could feel the power radiating off of him in waves - the human form barely able to contain his true Dragon power.

I didn't recognize his human form, but that was normal. Dragons were rarely in human form around each other, so even if I had met him as a Dragon, that didn't mean I would recognize him as human.

He had black hair and dark eyes. He didn't just stand out of the crowd because he was Dragon, but because he was definitely the most colorful person around us. I had made an attempt to blend in, but he hadn't seemed to bother. He was wearing way too much jewelry, and looked at me shrewdly.

And in that moment I recognized him. Zmey. I was looking at the human version of Zmey.

Why was he here?

He seemed to be surveilling me with similar eyes, and by the smirk on his face he had identified me as well.

"General Dimitri the honorable, what brings you to this lovely town?"

His tone implied he knew why I was here, and he wasn't too pleased. But he couldn't possibly know the reason. I know people gossip at court, but he wouldn't have known this was Rose's village.

"I don't believe it is any of your business, Zmey."

If he seemed shocked I had guessed his identity, he wasn't showing it. If anything, his smile got bigger.

He stepped closer to me until we were practically chest to chest. He was trying to intimidate me, and any other man would have failed merely on height alone. Zmey's power didn't particularly lie in physical confrontation, yet I was nailed to the spot nonetheless.

"Leave this town, now. You have no business here."

If I had been anybody else, I would have missed it. Only years of military training and the knowledge of what was out there made me see where his eyes shifted to. He glanced in the direction of the palace. In the direction of Lissa… and Rose. What business did he have with Rose? Was he trying to protect her?

Suddenly, my mind made the connection. Everything fell into place. I kept looking from Ibrahim the Shrewd to the direction where I knew Rose would be. He followed my movement, and an emotion came across his face I had never seen and never thought I would see. If I ever told anybody they would tell me I was crazy - but I saw fear on his face. Fear because I had figured out the truth about Rose. She was his daughter. Rose was the daughter of a Dragon.

"You. You are the one who has been keeping an eye on her. You had my grandmother put the binding spell on her. She… She is your daughter."

The fear made way for anger, and he stepped closer, forcing me take a step back.

"You will stay away from her. You have already caused enough trouble. Maybe if you stay away, the binding spell will hold."

I wasn't going to let him keep me from Rose.

"You never planned to tell her, did you? She deserves to know Ibrahim. She has always wondered why she was different from anybody else."

"You don't get to tell me how to handle my daughter. I did what I did to protect her. You know what happens to hybrids."

I did know. I'd actually been wondering if Rose were a full Dragon and her mother went into hiding as well, or whether her mother were human. Well, I suppose that settled that question. Hybrids, or abominations as they were called by some, were the offspring of a Dragon and human. Most hybrids had an aspect of their Dragon parent but only had their human form. They also inherited our magic, but their heritage from their human parent made the magic unstable and most of the time…volatile. I understood why Zmey had bound her power. But Rose didn't seem to be unstable in any way. I had only seen one incidence when the markings had shown.

"You have to stay away, or you will make it worse."

Worse? Make what worse?

And then it hit me. I was the reason the spell was weakening, or maybe I was the reason her powers were growing. Having a Dragon around her resonated with her power, making it come to the surface. I wondered what kind of powers Rose had. I could already deduce she had gotten our fast healing and probably our eyesight, but I hadn't detected an increase in physical strength or anything like that. I knew one thing all hybrids shared though, even though their unstable magic meant they usually weren't able to use it to its full advantage. They inherited the lifespan of their Dragon parent. I was both petrified and elated by that realization. It meant that Rose and I could spend a lifetime together; it also meant we had so many more obstacles to overcome. I also realized Rose's mother wouldn't have that advantage and I realized all too well the struggles Zmey must have faced when he became involved with her.

"You must have loved her mother very much."

He seemed taken aback by my sudden comment. I saw his eyes soften a bit at the mention of Rose's mother, and I knew I had been right. There was also a weird look on his face now towards me. I think, in that moment, he understood what Rose meant to me.

"When Rose was born I made the decision to stay away from both of them for their protection. I loved them enough to let them go. I hope you will make the same decision."

He was still trying to convince me to leave Rose. And honestly, I couldn't fault his reasoning. But if I had been able to stay away from her, I would have done so a long time ago.

"Rose deserves the truth, not just about her parentage, but about why I lied to her about being human. I came here to explain. After that, it is her choice what to do with that information."

He put his hands by his side, taking a defensive stance.

"So after you explain and she tells you to go fuck yourself, you will leave her alone?"

Oh, how eloquently he phrased that!

"If she doesn't want anything to do with me afterward, I'll understand. But I need to see her. I need her to know why I did what I did. I need her to know…"

 _How much I love her_.

Zmey seemed to understand the unspoken words and I thought I caught a glimpse of sympathy in his eyes.

He put his hands on my shoulders and simply shook his head.

"Good luck with that. Hathaway women are notorious for holding a grudge."

The smallest smile pulled at his lips, and I knew he was thinking of Rose's mother.

His hands moved back to his side, and he walked around me. When I looked back, he had already disappeared into the crowd.

And I was nailed to the spot for a few moments, overthinking all my options. But my mind was made up. I would tell Rose who she was and what she meant to me. She should make the decision who she wanted to be.


	16. Chapter 16

RPOV

I had put the boiling water out of my mind and added it to the long list of weird things that kept happening to me. Lissa was helping me by keeping my mind off of it, and off Dimitri, by dragging me into town. She had disguised herself, saying she didn't want to bother today with the escort. Most town merchants would probably recognize her, but I trusted the town's folk. Mostly.

In disguise, she couldn't just purchase whatever she wanted, and I noticed she was having trouble not buying everything in sight. I had to giggle. I suppose we all had our problems.

We were walking down the street when we bumped into two men. I wasn't sure who bumped into who but I assume it was Lissa's fault for looking only at the merchandise on sale, and me only keeping a close eye on Lissa.

"Woah there. Careful."

The guy I had bumped into could barely stop me from hitting the ground hard. He straightened me up, and I looked at him and his companion. The man before me was handsome with messy brown hair and green eyes. His companion had black hair and ice blue eyes. The green eyes were fixed on me, but the blue ones were taking in Lissa as though he had never seen a woman before. The attention made Lissa giggle and blush. The green-eyed man poked the blue-eyed man in the ribs, and this seemed to get him out of his daze. He cleared his throat and then looked me over. There was curiosity in his eyes, but no blatant lust or disgust. Usually, it was one of the two. I saw the other man eye me curiously too, but in his eyes, there was definitely lust. I think I heard him murmur something about his cousin being right, but I had no idea what that was about.

There was something about these men that made me stand there and observe them. Normally, I would either apologize or curse depending on whose fault it was, but something made me stand there and take another look at these two gentlemen. Lissa certainly didn't mind.

The man I bumped into was rock solid, yet he had a slender physique. I wondered why it felt I had walked into a wall when clearly he didn't look that solid. They felt somewhat familiar. I knew I had never met them before, but they were giving off something I recognized. And at that moment it hit me. They were Dragons. Now that I knew Dragons could have a human form I could tell quite easily. They smelled like Dimitri too; that smoky scent that was apparently unique to Dragons.

Honestly, I was kicking myself. Dimka and Dimitri even smelled the same. Really, I should blame myself for not figuring it out sooner.

The fact that these two Dragons were in human form also told me that it seemed to be a general ability Dragons possessed, and not something Dimitri cast to mislead me. I felt a little better about that.

"What brings you _men_ to this town?"

I emphasized the word men so they would guess I knew they weren't men at all. The blue-eyed one seemed a little confused, but the green-eyed man had a large smirk on his face.

"So you can recognize us? Not many humans can. Of course, not many humans know we can even appear this way and we would like to keep it that way."

He seemed to be hinting to something, but whatever he wanted to say in subtext was lost on me. Maybe he wanted to make sure I wouldn't tell?

"Why don't you want people to know? Maybe they would fear you less if they saw you could appear the same as them."

He smiled, but there was no humor in the gesture.

"People always fear what they don't understand, if people know we could look like them, and be killed like them, they would try and hunt us when we were human. It is a lot easier than when we are as large as their buildings and protected by our scales. Human skin is so fragile."

He looked down at his pink skin and pinched it as if tested the durability of the skin. I hadn't considered that people knowing Dragons could appear human would make them vulnerable. In that case, it may have made sense for Dimitri to hide it from me at first. Maybe I had been too hard on him.

I shook my head. No. He may have had reason to lie to me at first, but he had had plenty of opportunities to come clean, and he didn't.

"So little human, you and your friend doing some shopping?"

Little human? I resented that nickname already.

Lissa nodded vigorously. She had tuned out of our earlier conversation, completely fixated on the blue-eyed man as he was fixated on her. I wondered if she had caught the part of the conversation about them being Dragons? But when the word shopping was said, all of a sudden she started to pay attention again.

"Shopping is good therapy," she practically squealed and was clapping her hands together.

The blue-eyed man seemed to find this endearing, while the green-eyed one gave me a sympathetic smile.

"So why do either of you need therapy. What could possibly trouble two lovely young ladies such as yourself?"

Oh, he was charming.

I was about to tell him to mind his own business when Lissa decided to answer for me.

"Rose's boyfriend lied to her about something big, so now she is pissed and hurt. So I am taking her shopping."

"He is not my boyfriend," I hissed.

I didn't know what he was. What he even could be. We were two completely different species after all.

Lissa rolled her eyes at me. She knew as well as I did even if we hadn't put any labels on it, there was definitely something going on between us.

The green-eyed man dropped to his knees in a dramatic gesture as he put one hand on his heart and stretched the other one out towards me.

"Oh, lovely lady, I would never lie to you. Please cast aside this liar and be my bride."

The blue-eyed man started to laugh and snort and even I had to admit it was funny. The man on his knees faked being hurt but joined in the laughter after a few moments.

"But seriously, little human. You deserve someone treating you right. But I have also learned that if people keep something from you, it is never without reason."

It was strange; this Dragon seemed to be a goofball. He was joking and didn't seem like the type to take anything too seriously, but then the next minute his eyes focus, and he'd speak as if speaking directly to my soul.

"Of course, that reason isn't always very noble. It might be that he is lying because he doesn't want you to learn about the other girl he has going on the side. Isn't that right, Adrian?"

This came from the blue-eyed Dragon and it was directed at the green-eyed man, probably called Adrian.

"One time, Christian, one time. And I had every intention to come clean, eventually."

"Yeah, when you decided which of the two was better in bed."

Lissa and I had to giggle at the banter of the two men. But Adrian seemed offended by his implications.

"You are making me look rather bad in front of these two fine ladies."

Christian seemed to right out laugh at that.

"I don't have to make you look bad. You do a fine job of that yourself. They could probably figure out that you were trouble the moment they saw you."

"Careful, Christian the Snarky. I have the power to behead you for insulting me."

He groaned and rolled his eyes. I had learned that Dragons didn't pick their own nicknames, and this definitely had not been picked by him if his groan was any indication.

"So what do they call you?"

His frown turned into a bright smile as he took a deep bow.

"They call me Adrian the Charming. And what delightful names are you ladies graced with?"

"My name is Rose, and this is Lissa."

Lissa actually curtsied, and it was returned by the two Dragons with a respectful bow of their head.

"Well ladies, we must be going, but it was very nice meeting you. I hope we meet again."

Christian seemed reluctant to leave, but Adrian was practically dragging him past us. I saw them disappear into the crowd.

Lissa couldn't stop talking about Christian when we got back. How handsome he was and how nice.

"Liss, you do realize he is a Dragon, right?"

She stopped her ramblings mid-sentence and simply stared at me.

"You're serious?"

I groaned, she had missed the entire conversation between Adrian and me.

"Yes, Liss, they both were."

"Oh, well then, I mean, if you can date a Dragon, why can't I?"

I giggled. Well if she put it like that, I suppose there really wasn't a hindrance. When human they had the same anatomy, so that would work. I didn't know about this Christian, but our duties got in the way of Dimitri and I, before him being a Dragon was even an issue. There was one point though that I think would pose a problem. Maybe another reason Dimitri didn't want to tell me he was a Dragon.

"Lissa, they do live longer than we do."

"Like what? Hundred and fifty?"

I shook my head.

"More than a thousand years."

"Oh."

When I thought about what Dimka had told me about his age and how Dragons mature, I realized that Dimitri wasn't twenty-four but two hundred and forty, and that Christian and Adrian seemed to be in a similar age range. I wondered what younger Dragons looked like and I thought back to Viktoria. She was Dimitri's sister, so she was also Dragon. Or he had simply paid someone to play his sister? But I doubted that. She said she was sixteen, but I think in reality she was more like a hundred and sixty.

"I would guess Christian is around the two-century mark."

Her jaw dropped, and I saw a little bit of the excitement leave her eyes.

"Well if you really love each other, it doesn't matter how long or short your time together is, every moment is precious."

I snorted a little at that. Lissa was such a romantic. I think she was trying to convince herself, and maybe me too.

The topic was dropped for now, but I could tell it was still on Lissa's mind all through the afternoon and dinner. It was also on mine. What if I did forgive Dimitri? What if I did want to be with him and could find a way to balance protecting Lissa and seeing him? Then I would age and he would not. We would maybe have three decades before it became awkward and maybe another two before I would slow him down with my aging body and in another decade or two after that, I would be gone he would still look as young as he did now.

Lissa yawned and decided to go to bed early. I would join her and guard her from the adjacent bedroom. It had been Alberta's idea to locate me in her old room, now that Lissa required more protection. I was grateful because sharing a room with four other girls wasn't fun. I had wondered if Alberta took my place in the common bedroom, but she told me she had arranged a small room down the hall.

My room was small but filled with a large bed and a desk. I barely had any room to move around, and still had to share the bathroom with the other girls, although Lissa did say I could use hers as well.

I had made the necessary security checks. I placed a bell at the bottom of the door, so when the door opened the bell would shift and ring. The only other entrance was the balcony. The doors were open as it was a hot night, but there was nobody who could climb the four storey high building, so I wasn't worried there.

Lissa had changed into her nightgown and looked out over the balcony. She always did this before she went to bed. She would look out over her domain, and I knew the silent question she always asked herself. When she ruled, would she make it better or worse? She took her responsibility very seriously, and every night she remembered the weight on her shoulders.

But tonight I saw her face change from contemplative to downright shock, and then a large smile crossed her face.

From my position, I couldn't see what she was smiling about, but when she stepped back a little, and a large form followed her, I knew who she had been smiling at.

Dimitri was standing in her bedroom. I suppose somebody was able to climb those four stories, or maybe he flew? I would have to add Dragons to the list of people to look out for. The Dragons I had met were wonderful, but any one of them could now enter Lissa's room without permission. I thought to simply close the balcony doors, but I doubt that would deter a Dragon.

I took in his form and was surprised at the wonderful flutter that emanated from my stomach at seeing him again. He had come for me. I didn't think he would.

I must have reflected my inner thoughts on the outside because I saw a small smile tug at his lips.

"Oh, he climbed a tower for you Rose. Oh, this is soooo romantic."

I rolled my eyes, and saw Dimitri being a little hesitant of what to do with Lissa.

I, on the other hand, knew how to handle her just fine.

I grabbed Dimitri's hand and dragged him into the room adjacent to Lissa's and closed the door. The room looked even smaller with a six foot seven Dragon standing in it.

I didn't think he would be comfortable on the teeny tiny chair so I motioned for him to sit on the bed. I took the chair. The chair was a little higher than the bed, so we were actually face-to-face. Also, our knees touched because his legs were simply too long – or the space simply too small.

There was an awkward silence. I didn't really know what to say. But Dimitri obviously came here for a reason, and I am sure he hadn't come in the hopes of getting a booty call.

He cleared his throat, and I saw he was anxious as to where to begin.

"Thank you, Roza, for hearing me out."

I nodded and tried very hard to ignore the butterflies when he called me Roza.

"I know I should have told you earlier. At first, I was simply following protocol. To protect our species, we are very selective who we share the information about our human transformation with. Also, I didn't want to freak you out. I didn't think telling you right after you woke up that first morning would be very productive."

I nodded. I figured as much from my earlier conversation with Adrian.

"But after I got to know you and you showed no fear of me in my Dragon form, I should have told you, but then I had already been lying for a while, and I didn't know how you would react. I told myself our time together was limited and we would part ways soon enough, so there really was no point in telling you."

I could also follow that logic, but by the way his face contorted into pure anguish, I knew it wasn't the full truth.

"But the real reason I was hesitant to tell you was… I was afraid. Afraid you would reject me."

His eyes focused on mine and I gasped at the intensity of the emotions crossing his face.

"I know not fearing someone and being able to love someone are two different things, and the more I fell in love with you, the more afraid I got that you wouldn't feel the same way."

He wasn't able to look at me when he said the last part; instead, he looked down at his hands.

I grabbed his hands in mine. He seemed shocked at the gesture.

"But I did love you. All of you."

He nodded.

"I know. After we flew together I knew I had to tell you, even if you would hate me for it. I didn't know how long we still had together, and I wanted you to know the truth, but we sort of got… distracted."

A small smile came across both our faces when we thought of those events.

"Please, Roza, forgive me."

I could forgive him. I understood his reasoning. I was still pissed, but I think I could forgive him if only to give him some peace of mind, he deserved that. But I wondered if it would change anything between us. He was still a Dragon and me human. He would live longer, and he might have to go to war soon. I felt like the cards were already dealt, no matter if I chose to forgive him or not.

But I saw the anguish in his eyes, and I cupped his cheek in reassurance. I don't know what tomorrow would bring, but tonight he was simply a man, and I was able to you give him something he needed. Forgiveness.

"I forgive you. But I don't know if it changes anything. I am still human and you a Dragon. I love you, Comrade. I wish we could be together, but I just don't know how."

His face lit up from my words, and he pulled me into his lap and held me tight.

"I don't know how this is going to end either Roza, but right now, I just want to be close to you."

He nuzzled his nose in my hair, and I felt strangely at peace. I felt all my anger dissipate. Yes, he had lied to me, and he would be groveling for a long time, but I understood why he did it. I moved back a little, so I could kiss him. My lips barely brushed his, but it was enough to make the butterflies go crazy. He returned the kiss with a gentle brushing of his own. I wanted more, but he pulled back. I was a little confused.

"Rose, there is something else I need to tell you."

My hearts sank. Oh God, did he lie about more things? I don't think I could handle any more.

"I found this out this morning, and I think you should know. When you were staying at the cave, I saw markings on your wrists and neck. I looked into what they were.

"It is a binding spell."

He looked confused. I suppose he didn't think I would know what they were.

"Yes, how did you know?"

"I asked a traveling merchant who specialized in weird items and rare books and such. Lissa thought he might know something about the markings."

His eyes narrowed at my story.

"What traveling merchant?"

I looked confused but described Abe. Dimitri's eyes narrowed even more with each feature I described.

"He told me his name was Abe Mazur."

His face had turned almost stormy.

"Zmey… 'Abe' is a Dragon. He is the one who put the spell on you in the first place. He is also the Dragon that has been watching over you since you were little."

I didn't know what Zmey meant, but something told me it was true. Now that I knew that Dragons had a human form, I had been able to identify them and if I thought back to my meeting with Abe, I did notice he had felt similar to Dimitri and the two Dragons I met this morning.

"Why? Why would a Dragon put a binding spell on me?"

He took a deep breath and brushed some hair out of my face. He seemed to be taking me in as if it was the last time he would see me like this. Like in a moment I would change and no longer be Rose.

"Because Ibrahim or 'Abe' is your father. You aren't human Rose, you are a hybrid and binding your powers was his way of protecting you and making you more human so you could grow up here."

It was like he was speaking another language. His words just didn't make any sense to me. My father was a Dragon? I didn't have a father. I didn't have any parents. This was too much. But I knew what he said was true. I had felt a connection to Abe from the start, and I never feared Dragons. A lot of things started to make more sense, but for every question it answered, three more took its place.

"Why would he bind my powers?"

Dimitri was rubbing the back of my hands as if such a gesture could somehow soothe the truth.

"Hybrids are often unstable. The mixture of Human and Dragon usually results in a volatile reaction and hybrids have destroyed many things because they had no control over their abilities. Binding your power meant you wouldn't succumb to the instability of it."

My powers, like boiling bath water and not burning.

"But the spell isn't working anymore."

I looked down at my hands as if I expected the markings to appear to prove my point.

"The spell is holding. That is what those markings are. Whenever your powers come to the surface, the markings appear and try to bind them. It may not be a hundred percent effective anymore, but you will know when the spell breaks."

An image of me with scales all over my body came to mind. Would I look different if the spell broke? Would I still look human, would I still feel human? Would I still be the same person?

"What do hybrids look like? What kind of powers can I expect?"

There was a small smile on Dimitri's face as he took in my mortified expression. I suppose he had been able to deduce my train of thought.

"Hybrids look human, like I do now, in my human form. If the spell breaks, you won't look any different. Hybrids usually have aspects of their Dragon parent. Some are as physically as strong as us, some can manipulate fire, they heal as fast as we do, and they age slower."

I thought about the fast healing. I suppose it wasn't that weird goo Dimitri's sister had put on me. I definitely had the fire thing, but the most interesting one, the one that gave me an odd sense of hope was the fact hybrids tend to age slower.

"How much slower?" I asked with a shy smile. Dimitri returned the smile, and I saw his face too was filled with hope.

"They get the life span of their Dragon parent, or close to it."

Well, that would solve one problem.

"So have you noticed any other things you can do?"

His voice was very hesitant and almost fearful. What kind of explosive powers did these hybrids usually have?

"I feel this connection to the fire, but Dragons have that too right?"

He nodded.

"And I think I can manipulate it? I was in the bathtub the other day and was able to reheat the water."

He seemed to be thinking it over, somewhat relieved I hadn't told him I had blown up something important.

"Was there a fire in the room?"

I thought about it, but no, there hadn't been one. The night had been hot enough, so I hadn't felt the need to light one.

"No, is that bad?"

He seemed to find my appalled expression amusing, but I didn't find any of this funny.

"No, Roza, it just means you have an internal flame like I do. What triggered it in the bathtub?"

I blushed, not wanting to divulge the exact reason why the bathtub water had been heating up, figuratively and actually. I hoped my blush wasn't visible in the evening light.

"Oh, I am not sure" I tried to say with a straight face.

I was mulling all this new information over. My whole world had been turned upside down, but for the first time in my life, I knew who and what I was and I felt strangely at peace with it. It made me feel closer to Dimitri too. But I could tell by the nervousness in Dimitri's posture and demeanor, it wasn't all good news.

"Why did the binding spell start to fail?"

I knew I always felt different, but up until I had been able to boil water and not get hurt, I had been a normal girl. I bruised as easily as any other human. What made the spell loosen?

Dimitri looked down at his hands, and in that moment I knew he was probably the reason.

"Me. It might be that you are older and simply became more powerful, but I think it is because your power recognizes mine. Resonating with it and coming to the surface… It also means the spell will probably hold if I leave."

I could barely hear him as he whispered the last part. If he would leave, I could go back to pretending I was human. It also meant I would have to stay away from Abe as well. I would have to denounce half of me. I had just been getting to know this species, and I wasn't planning on giving that up. Giving him up.

"What would happen to me if the binding spell breaks?"

Dimitri leaned back on the bed, his weight supported on his hands and he stared at the ceiling maybe hoping it would answer for him.

"It is hard to say. Hybrids are usually well hidden and grow up with their human parent, so we don't have all the information. But the hybrids that we do know of, well, we know them for a reason. Their power becomes unstable and…"

He sat up straight and made a gesture with his hands, making them go from a joined fist outwards opening his hands. He was simulating an explosion. I could explode.

"Oh," was all I could say.

"They can't control their flame, and eventually the flame consumes them. It happens to Dragons too sometimes, but it is rare."

So I could live a lie, or I could try finding a new meaning in life and be happy with a man I love but risk exploding. Great.


	17. Chapter 17

DPOV

My heart was breaking for her.

In the course of a few weeks, her life had been turned upside down. I could see she had trouble reconciling all of it in her head. Her Dragon father, her powers, me being a danger to her.

I wanted to stay here. God, I wanted to stay, hold her the entire night and every night to come. But me being around her made her more unstable. I couldn't take the chance. I had to leave her. But what kind of life would she have? She wasn't human, even if she looked the part. Lissa would age. Would she protect Lissa's children? Would she protect Lissa's children's children? Would she live a millennium, and always have to say goodbye to her friends, to her lovers?

But accepting a life in the Dragon world - accepting a life with me or even with her father in her life - meant the binding spell would break, sooner or later and we had no idea what the ramifications would be.

"I should go, this is a lot of information to take in, to process."

I got up from the bed and was making my way towards the door when Rose's hand grabbed my arm.

"Don't leave. I am not sure of anything right now, but I do know I don't want you to leave."

"Rose, if I stay…"

"I know, and I am asking anyway."

Her eyes looked up at me pleadingly. I could see tears just under the rim. She was fighting hard to stay strong, but she needed to me to do it. How could I refuse?

I pulled her into my embrace and held her tight. I was stroking her hair and whispering things in an ancient Dragon language. I felt her sob, her body needing to release some of the tension.

"I am here, Roza, for as long as you need."

She looked up at me with glistening eyes. But just as I had expected from Rose, it wasn't just pain and confusion in her eyes; there was also something… else. Something stronger.

"What if I need you for a while?"

I knew I shouldn't make promises I couldn't keep, but I promised anyway. I brushed a stubborn strand of her hair behind her ears and ran my fingers through the locks until they reached the ends and the strands fell back in front of her shoulders.

"As long as you need."

A small smile pulled at her lips, and now I saw definite cheekiness in her eyes, but also a bit of fear. She took a deep breath.

"What if I need you forever?"

For the first time in my life, I was actually considering it. I was considering spending the rest of my life with one person, and I didn't feel fear as I had expected. I imagined long mornings of sleeping in together and leisurely afternoons on the sundeck with her small form pressed firmly against my scales. What I didn't imagine, the image I always had when I thought of a future shared with another, was me turning into my father and hurting the person I was with. But somehow I didn't have that nightmare with Rose. Because me hurting her like that simply seemed impossible. I didn't know how my father turned into the man he did, but I knew I would have to be a completely different person and stop loving Rose before I could even contemplate that. And I never saw that happening.

I looked over to her arms and felt the softness of her skin beneath my large hands. I had this urge to mark her skin, to let my flame run over her flawless tanned skin and mark her as my own. I knew the specifics of claiming somebody, but I never knew there was this physical urge, probably because I had never felt it. But I wouldn't claim her unless she wanted me too. No matter how much I loved her and wanted her, it would be her choice.

But hadn't she just given me her permission by asking me to stay with her forever?

I was about to reply to Rose when I heard a bell and a small scream following that bell.

We were both on immediate alert. Gone was the fragile girl whose whole world had been turned upside down and she was replaced by the strong warrior my Roza was.

She took one look at me before moving past me at record speed despite the small space and hurried into Lissa's room.

I followed her a few steps behind.

But the room was empty. The bell was across the floor, and a chair was flipped.

Rose moved past Lissa's room and into the common room and rushed to the side of a girl lying on the floor. I could hear her breathing and saw the rise and fall of her chest. She just appeared to be knocked out. The door was wide open, and I could hear several footsteps going down the stairs.

Rose looked at me, and I nodded as we started our pursuit.

They only had a small head start, and I could hear Lissa's cries as they moved her through the stairs. It only took them moments to realize they were being followed and they placed several men in our path to slow us down. Now normally I would simply wipe them away with a brush of my wing, but here in the confines of the stairs, I had to fight while in human form. Not that that would be a problem, humans meant nothing to me in terms of strength, but it would cost us precious time.

I engaged the one closest to me and dodged his attempts to attack me. I punched him in the stomach, and he fell forwards grabbing his abs and losing consciousness on the way to the floor. I had just enough time to see the pure poetry of Rose dispatching her assailant. I saw some things I'd taught her, but there was also something uniquely Rose about the way she gracefully took down a man twice her size.

After another two each, we were able to continue our pursuit. But by the time we got down to the courtyard, we could see a coach traveling at high speed towards the edge of town and into the open fields that lay beyond it.

Rose looked up at me in panic, but I quickly changed forms. I didn't even take my clothes off and when my body grew too large for the human clothes to tolerate they ripped and fell to the ground, all but one piece that got stuck on my scales.

I bend down a little, so Rose could climb on. But I noticed she didn't. She was staring at me with her eyes wide and her mouth open. I realized she had never seen the transformation and I could only imagine what it looked like to her. But we didn't have time for that. She seemed to realize this too as she shook herself out of her trance and climbed on. I was in the sky within seconds.

I tried to ignore how good and right it felt as she was sitting on my back. I tried very hard to focus on Rose's friend riding into the distance with her captors and not fantasize about our future together and long flights with Rose in that exact spot.

It wasn't long before I was flying over the carriage. Lissa's captors didn't notice us. I knew most humans wouldn't. To them, there wasn't any reason to look up. All there was in the sky was the sun. And I doubt these captors knew there was a Dragon in the palace the moment they kidnapped Lady Dragomir. Besides, it was dark outside, with my brown scales I blended into the night perfectly.

"What are you waiting for Comrade, attack them or something."

"Can't. We have to wait for the carriage to slow down and stop. If I come too close, I can spook the horses and the carriage with Lissa inside can flip. And if I simply attack the carriage at this speed the same thing can happen. We have to follow them until they stop."

I heard her groan, but she didn't disagree with me, so we followed the coach from high up in the sky. Actually, it wasn't a bad night for a leisurely flight. There were only a few clouds and a clear moon. The pace of the horses could never match my speed as a Dragon, so it took little effort to keep up with the coach. I was more gliding the air currents than I was actually flapping my wings.

I saw a house in the distance, and the carriage had set a course towards it. I felt Rose stiffen on my back.

"Dashkov."

I had no idea what she meant by that, but I guess she knew something about the place I didn't. The coach had come to a stop, and I tiltled my head a little to look at Rose, asking the silent question if I should just pick Lissa up with my claws as she came out. But Rose shook her head.

"Land nearby, I need to see what he wants with her."

I obeyed and landed in a field a little away. She climbed off.

"I think you would be more help inside if you were human."

Yeah, I could see that. I wouldn't fit through the door otherwise.

So I transformed back and again her eyes widened in amazement, then her cheeks started to blush.

I looked down at myself and noticed why she was blushing. I was completely naked. I had a small piece of ripped clothing draped over my shoulder where it had stuck to my scales, but it did nothing for my modesty.

She turned around.

"Can you put some clothes on, please?"

I chuckled a bit. Humans were such prudes. She had seen me naked before, why was this such a big deal? Besides she would have to get over it. Because I'd only brought one set of human clothing and most of it lay ripped on the courtyard back in town.

"I don't have any more clothes."

She turned around, took a good look at me and tried not to let her eyes linger on certain areas too long.

"Okay, alright then. Maybe it will give us the element of surprise? I suppose this house doesn't get invaded by naked men too often."

She allowed herself a smile before her face became serious, and her mind focused on the task at hand; saving her best friend.

She started to stalk to the side of the building.

"Do you know this place?" I asked her.

She nodded.

"It belongs to Viktor Dashkov. He is ruling in Lissa's stead until she comes of age in a few months."

She motioned me to follow her, and she skillfully and gracefully climbed the wall in one of the lowest points and was climbing her way to an open window. There wasn't a guard in sight.

"Lissa and I come here often. I know all the good places to get in… or out as was mostly the case. That window leads to the kitchen and is right over the oven, so it is always open to let the warm air out. Lissa always found it hot to climb out, but it never bothered me."

She stilled her movements a little as she pondered what she just said.

"And now I know why."

Although if Lissa could also climb through, obviously humans could tolerate the heat physically - but Rose wouldn't even think it was hot because of her Dragon half, even with the binding spell, rudimentary things like that can't be blocked. I think a lot of things will start to make sense to her now.

She climbed in through the small opening, and once inside she opened the window completely so I could climb through. Even when it was fully open it was a struggle to fit my six foot seven human frame through the window and as I rather ungracefully tried to shimmy through, Rose was chuckling from the other end.

Once I was safely on the floor, she stalked the hallways, hiding us in nooks and corners to evade potential guards, although I hadn't seen any. The place seemed rather deserted. She seemed to know where she was going so I simply followed her.

She stopped at a large oak door that was a little ajar. There were people inside, and Rose stopped and listened.

She pressed her ears as close to the opening in the door as she could without exposing herself to the people inside, but I doubt she needed to. I could hear them from here just fine, and I figured Rose would too.

"Viktor? Why am I here? Are these miscreants with you?"

It was Lissa's voice. She sounded strong, and her voice held authority, but I could detect fear as well.

"Oh Vasilisa, these aren't miscreants. These are loyal employees of mine, that will do anything I ask as long as I pay them. Good help is very hard to get these days, and I don't appreciate you insulting them. As to why you are here. Well, I heard about your plans, and I knew I had to intervene."

I heard a small growl emanating from Rose, but otherwise, she remained silent.

"Are you… going to get rid of me?"

Rose stiffened beside me, and I knew if this man's answer would be yes, that she would storm in, no questions asked.

"Oh no my dear, I would never hurt you. I plan to keep you secluded. Not here, of course. We are merely stopping here for some supplies for the long trip. I have already moved Natalie and her maidens to your new home. Natalie was so happy to learn she was going to have a high-ranking female companion. I am sure you will be very comfortable there and far away from boring politics. You will write a statement saying you don't feel up to the task of ruling and have appointed me as your regent."

"You want my power? That is why you took me? I thought you were my friend, grooming me to be a good ruler once the time comes? How can you take that away from me?"

"Because my dear, I simply cannot let your naivety destroy what I have built. I have plans for this country, and I will not let you ruin that. People need strong leadership. The common folk don't know what is best for them and letting them have a say in how things are run will destroy this country, and I will not allow it."

Rose had heard enough, and she didn't think twice. Maybe she should have before she opened the doors with a loud bang. I had no choice but to follow.

When we entered the room, there were two men that were poised to attack us, one man that was holding Lissa down and one older man standing before them all. By the look of his clothing and the air of arrogance and importance, I suspected this was Viktor Dashkov. He wasn't pleased to be interrupted. He did raise an eyebrow when he took in my attire, or lack thereof, and I saw the men he hired look at each other, not really knowing how to handle a naked man. Although one of them did look more appreciative than the others.

Three men were nothing to me. I could take them down easily. Also Rose would be able to handle some of them as well. Either Viktor had been right that it was hard to get good help, or most of his guards were already in their new accommodations. I suspected a little bit of both. Of course, he'd had more men to retrieve Lissa, but a few of them lay unconscious back at the palace.

The two men attacked me seeing me as the bigger threat, which in truth I was. But two humans weren't really a problem for me. They were on me trying to tag team to get any punches or kicks in. Even the ones I couldn't block hardly fazed me and I saw one of the guys that had punched me was nursing his hand. I always forgot how fragile humans were. I knocked the first one out, by throwing him across the room and into the stone wall. I made sure he was still alive, but otherwise focused on the other ones. The man that was holding down Lissa let her go so he could join the fight. I told Lissa to run and get away. She looked back a moment to the other side of the room where I saw Viktor try to leave and Rose pursuing him.

"She will be fine. Just get yourself to safety. I will be right behind you."

It took me a few more moments before I had dispatched the other two men and I was about to head to Lissa when I felt it.

My head turned around fast to the direction where I felt it come from and I knew it was the direction in which Rose had been running.

The air was heating up. As a Dragon, I was in tune with all sources of fire. The sun, actual fire, and other Dragons, or in this case hybrids that had an internal flame. And hers was blazing.

I ran outside to see if Lissa was safe. She was a safe distance away from the source of the inferno, so I focused on Rose. I couldn't see her, but I could feel her. She was standing in a field of corn no doubt having followed Viktor, who had been trying to get away and hide.

I could faintly hear their voices, and it didn't seem like they were having a polite conversation.

All the while the fire inside of her was building and expanding. I knew I would have to act soon or I would lose her. The spell wouldn't be able to bind this much power, and it would break.

I heard the shift in Viktor's voice go from angry and condescending to downright fearful.

And at that moment I knew I was too late. The heatwave hit me and pushed me back. I had to close my eyes and shield my face so I wouldn't go blind from the brightness.

It took a few moments for the light to dissipate and the inferno to return to simmering.

When I was able to open my eyes again, I saw a small figure in the distance. The cornfield was gone, and in its stead was ash in a hundred foot radius around the small figure. Rose.

I walked towards her, ignoring the coals of burned corn at my feet. I was a Dragon; the heat doesn't touch me.

I was expecting the worst. I heard stories of hybrids losing control, and there was nothing left of them but ash. At least Rose was still there, and I could hear her breathing. She was on her knees and naked. The fire had burned off her clothes. There were still a few flames dancing on her skin, but she didn't seem to notice.

In this moonlight she was beautiful. Her form was illuminated by her own flames that almost seemed to be soothing her. The only thing that made her less beautiful was the pure look of anguish and pain on her face. She wasn't even looking at me. She didn't seem to notice I was there. All she was looking at was a bit of ash on the ground. It had a slightly different form than the burned corn, and I realized this must be Viktor. There was barely anything left of him and one good gush of wind, and he would be scattered across the lands.

I kneeled down next to her.

"Roza?"

She looked at me when she heard her name and my heart broke as I saw her tear stained face.

"Roza, are you hurt?"

I looked her over but found no evidence she had sustained any damage from the inferno.

She held her hands up to her face and was staring at them. I didn't know what to do; she seemed to be in shock.

The wind picked up and blew the remnants of Viktor across the field. Rose whimpered as she stretched her hands towards the ash as if she could make him whole again if she found all the pieces.

I knew that that wind wasn't a normal gush, but created by the wings of Dragons and when I turned around, I saw Adrian and Christian standing a few feet back.

"We felt the inferno and came to check."

Both of them were looking at Rose, wondering what the hell was going on.

"Cousin, is she?"

Apparently, Adrian figured out that Rose was a hybrid and I nodded at his question.

"What do you need?" Christian asked.

"I need to get her to my grandmother, but I need someone to take care of Lady Dragomir. Take her home and keep her safe."

Christian seemed eager to accept that task; information I filed away to think about later.

I picked Rose up and transformed so I would be able to fly the distance. She ended up perfectly cradled in my claws as I took to the skies. Adrian followed me as Christian stayed behind. I saw Rose look back one more time towards the circle of ash before she lost consciousness.


	18. Chapter 18

RPOV

I woke up in a plushy bed, and for a moment I thought I was back in the caves; but the place looked different. There was less 'Dimitri' in this room. Even though I could smell him, and feel his arms wrapped tightly around me. How did I get here? And where was here?

I tried to think back to last night, but my mind was bombarded with images of fire and ash. Viktor had been there, and he was going to lock Lissa up so he could take her place. I had felt so enraged and it wasn't long before the markings had made an appearance. But unlike before, the markings weren't able to contain my power. I felt and saw the moment it failed and I had destroyed everything, including Viktor.

I had killed someone. I always knew it was a possibility and I had been prepared to do it if it meant protecting Lissa. But even though Viktor had gone after Lissa, killing him was unnecessary.

Lissa.

I sat up in a panic, waking the sleeping Dragon next to me. I wondered if waking a Dragon is the same as waking a dog. Not a good idea?

"Roza? What's wrong."

What's wrong? Everything is wrong. I killed someone. Barbecued him to the point there wasn't anything left of him. I exploded, but am still here. And the fact I was focusing on right now, because the rest was simply beyond my comprehension; Lissa had been kidnapped.

"Where is Lissa?"

I looked around the room frantically but noticed she wasn't there. I did notice the room I was in was meant for something a lot larger than me. The bed or more accurately the furs on the rock I was currently lying in was larger than my entire room at the palace.

"Christian, a friend of mine, took her, she is safe and well-guarded."

I cocked my head.

"Christian the Snarky?"

He narrowed his eyes at me as something seemed to be dawning on him.

"Yes," he said hesitantly. "How do you know that?"

"We met them yesterday at the market. Him and Adrian the Charming. They are Dragons, right?"

If Dimitri's eyes had narrowed at the mention of Christian, his eyes practically became lines at the mention of Adrian.

"That is why they got there that fast." He mumbled under his breathe.

When I looked at him confused he shook his head.

"Christian is a good friend of mine and Adrian is my cousin who has a tendency to drive me crazy and put his nose where it doesn't belong."

"Like what?" I asked innocently. Anything to get my mind off of my murderous tendencies and onto something else.

His eyes changed from annoyed to almost lovestruck. He sat up and gently brushed the hair away from my shoulder.

"He knew I was struggling with my feelings towards you. He must have become curious and wanted to see for himself."

I touched his bare chest as I shimmied a little closer. Breathlessly, I spoke.

"You struggled with your feelings towards me?"

A small smile came across his face. "Of course I did. I was falling in love with a human, or I thought I was at the time. I knew the chances of us living a happy life together were practically zero, so I told myself I needed to get you out of my head, but for once in my life, my heart over-powered my head."

He pulled me closer as I sat on his lap. He was running his fingers through my hair and rubbing my back with the other. I shied away from such a loving and gentle gesture.

"You'd even love me after what I did?" It was barely a whisper but I voiced my innermost fear. Yesterday, I hadn't just learned I was half human; I had also lost a piece of humanity on a whole different level.

He pulled me closer.

"Last night wasn't your fault."

I pushed myself away from him as I got up from the large bedrock. I put my fingers through my hair and tried very hard to resist the urge to pull out every last strand of my long dark locks.

"It was. I wanted to hurt him. I wanted him to pay for what he did to Lissa and the next moment I knew…He was gone… Everything was gone. There was nothing but ash." I held my hands in front of my face and wiggled my fingers. I could still feel the last bit of his ashes fly through them, carried on the wind and scattered across the earth.

He stood up and followed me.

"You didn't mean to Roza. Your power got out of control. I have asked my grandmother to take a look at you when you woke. We need to know if the binding spell broke and what the…ramifications might be."

"The spell broke. I saw it. And ramifications… Like me incinerating someone else?"

He pulled me close trying to hide me from the truth.

"You can't incinerate anyone here Rose. You're in a Fire Dragon stronghold."

I wanted to believe him. I wanted to believe he was safe, but I could hear the doubt in his words.

"So there is no chance I will hurt you?"

He smiled and convincingly lied to me.

"No, you can't hurt me."

I rubbed the sides of my arms. I looked down at my feet and pulled away from him. I also noticed he hadn't answered my question. Did he still love me after what I did?

He seemed to notice my inner turmoil and pulled me close as he grabbed the side of my face and stared down into my eyes that were on the brink of tears.

"Listen to me Roza. I know the difference between killing someone and what happened last night, I killed enough people in battle to know. Yes, they were the enemy, but they had lives I destroyed. If anyone should be asking for forgiveness, it is me. What you did was an accident. Something you can blame me for, for getting too close to you and your father for binding your powers in the first place. It. Was. Not. Your. Fault. I loved you because you are a vibrant and strong and protective woman. That hasn't changed."

He pulled me back to the bed and placed me on his lap sitting sideways as he brushed the lonely tear that had fallen.

"I love you. Nothing is going to change that."

I looked at him and buried my face in his chest. I quietly sobbed as I mourned the person who had fallen victim to my powers. But I realized that is exactly what it was. There was a difference between my powers and me. Since I had met Dimitri, I had been a slave to them. They came and went when they pleased, leaving me confused and less human each time. No more. I would take control of my power.

I pulled back and looked at Dimitri. His face was so gentle as he tried to soothe me. He seemed to notice my change in posture and a small smile tugged at his lips and a look of pride washed over him.

"I need you to teach me. Viktor may not completely be my fault, but anyone else who falls victim to my power will be. I need to either control this or bind it again, so I don't hurt anyone."

"I will Roza; I will."

He gently kissed me on the side of my cheek and slowly moved to my lips. I wanted to forget about last night. Well, maybe not the entire night. I wanted to revisit a different part of the night; before this entire nightmare began. The part of the night where I had asked to stay with him forever, and I realized forever had just gotten a few centuries longer for me. Lissa's abduction had prevented him from answering, but for now knowing he loved me, unconditionally, was enough. I needed to feel his love. I needed him to chase away this cold feeling of guilt inside of me and love me.

I needed him to make love to me.

I kissed him hard and pressed myself against his body. He immediately responded by grabbing me and positioning me on his lap with both my legs pressed on the outside of his thighs as I was trying hard to prevent any space from coming between our bodies.

He was wearing leggings even if his chest was bare. I noticed I was wearing a sleeping gown. I wondered if Dimitri had changed me last night, but when I thought back to the last few moments before I had passed out. I remembered I was naked. I chose not to dwell on that, but on imagining Dimitri running his fingers over my skin in a loving gesture as he put the nightgown on. I could imagine it in great detail because he seemed to be adopting a similar strategy for taking the item of clothing off.

He had loosened the strings at the front and was brushing the sides of my shoulders. The gown was way too big and it fell down my torso and pooled between us, still concealing my most intimate part. But my breasts were now exposed and they seemed to draw his attention. He was cupping one of them, squeezing lightly and I gasped at the feeling. Having someone else's hand do this, felt completely different than when I touched them myself. My nipples were hardening and he was gently brushing his thumb over one of them to help stimulate the erection of my peaks. He pinched it, and I threw my head back, pressing my breasts closer to him. He took the invitation and started to lick them. First, he simply lapped at them and licked but after a few moments, he gently bit down, sending delicious thrills down to my core.

I was rocking my hips and grinding myself against him, trying to find any friction I could. And I quickly found something large and hard to provide me with that friction. He growled against my chest and I assumed he was enjoying it as well.

He picked me up as if I weighed nothing, and laid me down next to him on the bed. He moved the gown over my hips, thighs and further down until it reached the ends of my feet and was thrown away. I lay naked next to him as he took me in. We had been in this position once before, and I hoped to God we wouldn't be interrupted again.

He was gazing at my body as he traced my skin with his fingers everywhere his eyes went. It wasn't long before his eyes had zoned in on their prize and his hand followed. He first gently brushed my node at the top and then moved to my folds. I could feel him spreading the wetness around. His gentle ministrations were both euphoric and hellish. I wanted him to touch me, but every time he lifted his fingers to deposit them elsewhere, I felt his loss immediately and needed more of him. I needed him deeper. I didn't know what I wanted, but I knew I my body craved him and needed more. I needed him to rub harder; to move faster. I was beginning to rock against his fingers to try and create the friction I needed myself. But he withdrew his fingers in punishment. A whimper from me alerted him that his punishment had been successful.

He withdrew his fingers altogether and placed his hands on my sides, running his hands lovingly over my body. He kissed my lips, then my breasts, then my stomach and with each kiss he traveled lower, his hands following. He looked up once with a sly smirk on his face before he finally kissed me down there. He spread my legs so he could move his face in between them and I felt strangely vulnerable. One hand was placed on my stomach in a gesture of reassurance; the other was on the inside of my thigh keeping my legs spread.

He licked me from top to bottom and back and the sensation sent goosebumps all over my body. His tongue pressed against my node and I grabbed his hair as I pushed him closer. I was now rocking my hips slightly against his tongue, moving in sync with his stimulation. The hand on the inside of my thigh found a new destination and I felt him insert a finger inside me. I moaned loudly.

"God Roza, you are so wet."

He could have been speaking Chinese for all I cared; I was in heaven. The gentle stimulation at the top with the movement and fullness inside of me was perfection.

I had read a passage in the books about the knight, where he had orally stimulated his damsel in distress. At first, I thought it would be gross - but now I understood the appeal.

I heard the swishing sound of his fingers moving in and out of me, and from the movements of his tongue over the wet area. The sound was strangely erotic. I couldn't really see what he was going down there, only feel. But hearing it added another layer of sensation. I also received other sensory input that drove me further into a frenzy. The smell. The smell of my arousal, and I think I could smell him. His own smoky and pine smell was amplified with something salty - and the smell turned me on even more.

He seemed to be equally affected as he left my wet core a moment to get rid of his pants. The normally cool and collected Dragon was now practically ripping his pants off to free himself. I had seen it before, yet I was still amazed by it in real life. It sprang proudly free of its confines and was standing to attention, promising immense pleasure. He didn't give me much time to ponder as he lowered himself again and returned to his earlier task. But as much as I was enjoying that, my body seemed to tell me it wanted something else. Like when you are enjoying your meal, but you just saw your dessert. It is all you can think about. And my body wanted dessert.

"Dimitri. Please."

I looked at him with pleading eyes and as his eyes met mine, I knew he understood my need. I saw it reflected in his eyes. He was barely able to contain himself. I could practically see the fire burning behind his eyes.

I had a small flashback to the bathtub. Obviously my powers were tied to many emotions, including being turned on. What if I burned Dimitri? What if I burned this whole place down?

I felt the skin on my arms and neck heat up, and I noticed it wasn't coming from me but from Dimitri. And at that moment I felt at peace. We were the same. The fire burning within us both united us. I was safe with him. I felt safe with him.

He moved up, so he was hovering over me as he kissed me and pressed his body against mine. He understood I had needed reassurance. He pulled back and looked into my eyes as he asked for permission. I gladly gave it as I wiggled my core against his groin.

He smiled as he positioned himself at my entrance. He slowly pushed inside and I felt my walls stretch. He pulled out slightly and pushed back in, inching his way inside. The feeling wasn't what I had expected. It didn't hurt per se, but it also wasn't very pleasurable. I just felt stretched. He stilled himself as he kissed my neck and cheek.

"Relax, we will take this as slow as you want."

He was barely moving, giving me time to accommodate him. His movements were slow and short, but after a few moments, I was able to relax. I noticed as I relaxed my muscles so did my grip on him from the inside. Slowly I grew accustomed to him and made the transition from pressure to pleasure. With each thrust, he moved deeper and with each thrust the pleasure increased. I moaned as he had fully entered me. I could feel his sack at my base. His strokes were getting larger and I felt myself moving along with his rhythm.

"Roza, you are so tight."

Well, whether I was tight or he was big was debatable, but it did ensure both our pleasure.

With each thrust, I felt him hit a spot that made me moan, and move and do anything to ensure I felt it again. I was thinking about passages from the books; particularly where she was writhing underneath the knight, as I was. I was writhing underneath my knight; enjoying his body as he was enjoying mine.

He moved one of my legs over his shoulder, and I couldn't keep in the guttural sound that escaped me. It was such an intense feeling. He was moving deeper still. It was a strange sensation because I didn't seem to be able to bear it, yet I didn't want it to ever end.

More and more I felt my body prepare for release. I felt every fiber of my being fill with the promise of pleasure. I vaguely noticed steam coming off me as my body heated up. I gripped the sheets underneath, but as I felt flames erupt on the fabric, I let go and instead settled for the only flame-resistant thing in the room. Dimitri.

I pulled him close as I kissed him. He gripped my hips to push me further onto his cock and kept moving. My fingers gripped his hair, and I felt his breath on my face whenever we came up for air. Judging by the frequency of his breathing and thrusts, he was close too.

He buried his face in my neck as he frantically started to move inside of me. His long strides giving me as much pleasure as he could. I wrapped the leg that wasn't over his shoulder around his waist and practically lifted myself up off the bed. Only his weight was keeping me grounded. If I could get any closer, I would.

"Dimitri, oh God."

I felt him groan desperately and I knew the feeling. This moment just before the climax drove me insane. We were so desperate for release that the world could have ended and we still wouldn't have stopped. I was rocking my hips in sync with his movements until I felt the climax wash over me. It started at that spot he kept hitting, but soon spread across my entire body ending with my toes. I was gripping him inside of me. Like my body wasn't prepared to let him go. I felt him release inside of me and that smell intensified. I felt his warm seed flooding me, and I think I came again, just from that sensation alone. When I was coherent enough to look at him again, I saw relief had set in for him as well, and his eyes now held love where a moment ago they were glazed over with the inferno of lust.

He kissed me gently as he pulled out of me and settled himself next to me. He pulled me close and let me settle on his chest. His heart was still beating frantically as was mine.

"That was…"

"Yeah."

I giggled. The normally so eloquent knight was reduced to mere sounds.

"Did I measure up? I mean is it different with me than it is with a Dragon?"

He pulled me even closer as he chuckled.

"Usually humans wear out quicker than Dragons, but you would have inherited a Dragon's stamina, so I wouldn't worry. Other than that I don't know. I haven't been with that many Dragons and even fewer humans, and I didn't love any of them. With you it was more than just sex, it was… Just more. So I really have nothing to compare it to."

I giggled a bit.

"So we were both kind of virgins."

He laughed as he rolled me on my back again as he hovered over me. He was licking and kissing the side of my neck.

"Well, now that we are both no longer virgins, I plan to enjoy you thoroughly and often."

He moved his hand between us and soon found the spot between my legs. I also found a sizable bulge pressing against me.

"I thought men had a hard time doing it again so quickly."

He laughed as he flipped me onto my stomach and entered me from behind. He whispered in my ear as he was slowly moved his body over mine.

"I am a Dragon, remember. We don't have those…restrictions."

I gasped as I realized, the kind of future we had. One of endless pleasure and sleepless nights.

* * *

Thanks you to everyone who has followed, faved, or reviewed. I try to respond to as many reviews as I can, but there are some I can't. The guest reviews. I would like ot thank you guys. The amount of guest reviews for this story have been much larger than my other stories and all of them have been positive. Thanks a lot.


	19. Chapter 19

DPOV

"Are you going to sleep all day? I didn't raise you to be lazy. And put some clothes on."

I tried to cover myself and Rose with the sheets, but I had no idea where they went. Rose seemed to be waking very slowly, and she looked around as if she didn't know where she was or what was going on. Her hair was in all directions, and it was kind of cute. What made it less cute was my grandmother staring at our naked bodies, expecting us to wake.

I wasn't bothered by a similar disorientation as I quickly got out of bed, picked up my pants and threw the nightgown that was thrown to the side of the bed to Rose.

Once we were dressed, and Rose was awake enough to understand English I introduced my grandmother.

"Roza, this is my grandmother, Yeva. She is the one that put the spell on you."

My grandmother was in Dragon form as was everyone else around here. I was human beside Rose, but I quickly realized as she looked small in my grandmother's presence, she probably wouldn't feel comfortable here. Everyone towered over her.

But none the less she held out her hand towards my grandmother, without fear. I was her grandson, and even I had a healthy amount of fear for my grandmother. Then again Rose didn't really know her, or her reputation.

Surprisingly my grandmother took her hand and held it in her claw for a little while. She wasn't greeting her per se, but more sensing her.

"The spell broke. All my hard work and it is gone."

She released Rose's hand, and Rose looked at me a little panicked.

"I am sorry?"

Her voice was hesitant. It wasn't really her fault anyway. Yeva scoffed.

"Oh child, it isn't your fault. If anything, big ooph over there is to blame, as is your father. I should have never placed the spell on you in the first place. The moment I did, I knew your powers were beyond what the spell could bind, but your father insisted."

She seemed a little relieved my grandmother wasn't mad at her and looked at me funny because my grandmother had called me a big ooph.

"Can you tell me what will happen to me?"

My grandmother sat down on one of the rocks and she thought it over.

"That is up to you. Your days as a human are over. You are powerful and either you learn to control that power and or it will consume you, but the choice is yours."

Well, I didn't really know if that was a choice. But I was glad Yeva thought she could learn to control this.

"Listen to Dimka, he knows a thing or two about being a Dragon, he can guide you, but you will also have to look further. That boy he hangs around with should be able to help you too. But you have to leave your life behind for now. You are a danger to your friend and cannot return to her until you have immersed yourself in battle and fire."

"Babushka what are you saying?"

I knew where my grandmother was going with this, but she couldn't be serious.

"I am saying when you go to war, she will come with you. She will stay in your battalion under your protection and that of the snarky one."

"Babushka, you can't be serious. I am not taking Rose to battle Snow Dragons; they will eat her in one gulp."

She whacked her tail at me, and it hurt surprisingly more when I was human.

"Silly boy, she needs to be there, she will determine the outcome of this war. I have seen it. Her fate and the fate of this war go hand in hand. Either she comes back whole from this war, and we will be victorious, or she will be consumed by her power and the Fire Dragons will fall with her."

"No pressure."

I heard Rose mumble under her breath. She seemed to take this way too calmly.

I was just staring at the both of them, my mouth open and not able to move or speak. How could I send Rose to war? How could I sign her almost certain death warrant, even if it meant it would win us the war?

Rose however was taking this all in stride and was looking more at the practical side of things.

"Okay. But I need Lissa protected. I know she needs to be protected from me too, but that doesn't mean that with me gone, or otherwise engaged, she doesn't need protection."

She was right. Lissa would need protecting and somehow I knew Rose wouldn't take it well if I tried to coaex her back to Lissa and out of this war. And if I wasn't going to guilt Rose into staying behind with Lissa, I might as well be productive.

"I might have an idea for that."

The two women looked at me. One young and hopeful, the other old and calculating.

"I could send Viktoria. She will blend in easily, she has the skills to protect her, and she would love to guard a princess."

I saw Rose thinking about it, and I saw my grandmother nodding in agreement. I had another reason to send Viktoria to Lissa. It meant she wouldn't go to war. I loved my sister, and she was well trained, but I didn't want her near this battle. I didn't want Rose anywhere near this battle either, but it seemed I didn't have a choice in the matter there.

"That is perfect. I am sure those two will hit it off."

She was biting her lip and looking at my grandmother.

"Do you think I can see her, before we start to train and go fight monsters, in case…"

In case she didn't make it back. She wanted a chance to say goodbye to her friend and explain everything to her. I had a much harder time coming to terms than Rose seemed to have accepting her fate so easily.

"I'll send word to Christian. He could take her here."

She nodded.

My grandmother slowly got up from the rock and walked towards the exit of my chambers. She inclined her head to me, and as she walked past me she whispered so only I could hear.

"Now, it is time for your head to take over again. She needs to do this, and you need to let her."

And with those words she left me and Rose alone to discuss her possible and probable death.

I was just looking at Rose. She was standing tall even though her hair was still tousled and her gown had fallen over her one shoulder. She looked so innocent right now, but there was strength and determination coming off her.

"Roza?"

"Don't Comrade. I have made my decision. I need to do this. Your grandmother is right. I need to learn to control this, and I've always worked well under pressure. Besides if I can't control this, I'd rather take out Snow Dragons than take out anyone else."

I didn't know if I was loving her for being so brave and being a warrior, or hated her for it. But I think I had made the decision a while ago. When she first said she wanted to go back to Lissa even if asshole Zeklos might still be a threat to her. I had only been able to give her the tools so she could survive then and I suppose it was all I could do now.

"Fine, but we are training. The few days I spent training you at the cave were nothing. I am not sending you into battle without training, and you have centuries to catch up on compared to your peers. I have a few juniors in my squad that are going through training. You will train with them, and you will train with me an additional few hours a day."

She came over to me with a spring in her step and a sway of her hips. She gently kissed me on my chin.

"Done. But do we have to start right now?"

She had a sly smile on her face, and she was tugging at my waistband. I smiled as I leaned down to kiss her, but groaned when I heard claw steps coming down the hallway.

"Dimka, You won't believe what she has done now... Oh hello? Who are you?"

I sighed deeply. Tasha's voice had way too much disappointment in them when she took in Rose in my bedroom, with nothing but a nightgown, her hair tousled and her hand on my waistband.

"Tasha, this is Rose. Rose, Tasha. She is Christian's aunt and a gifted Dragon in terms of flame."

Tasha, in Dragon form, towered over Rose and she stood a little taller still, to convey to point to Rose that she was bigger.

"You have a human in your chambers here?"

Rose's eyes narrowed, and she crossed her arms over her chest. I loved how she simply stood there, fearless in the presence of an annoyed Dragon.

"I am not human, I am a hybrid. A very unstable one at the moment. General Dimitri was assisting me in learning to control my flame before I incinerate everything and everyone around me. He was just about to show me how I could control my flame during extreme emotional and physical pleasure."

The smirk on her face was wide but I saw the same reflected in Tasha's eyes.

She let flames engulf her and she was now standing in my room, naked. Rose looked her over but didn't seem impressed. I would have to agree. Rose's human curves were much more appealing than Tasha's more lanky figure.

"How rude of me not to meet you in a less frightening form, I must have startled you."

"Oh not at all. I am used to Dimitri's Dragon form, and he is much bigger than you."

Now I knew very little about the opposite sex except what I had seen from my sisters, but even I knew all of these pleasantries were fake. I knew Tasha was interested in me and was trying to assert some kind of dominance over Rose, but that battle was already over. And the fact Rose was standing her ground and meeting Tasha toe to toe in her little game was making me love her more. She simply didn't have fear. Something we would have to work on - fear could be useful sometimes.

"Tasha, why did you come here?"

She turned to me with a bright smile, swaying over to me and completely ignoring Rose.

"Tatiana. She is simply sitting by and doing nothing. I know we need time to prepare for war, but she isn't even allocating the extra time and energy to training people with flame. You need to talk to her."

I sighed. Not this again.

"Tasha, you have been training a few yourself, why don't you just do it?"

She gasped as she crossed her arms over her chest trying to push her breasts up a bit, but really there wasn't much to push up.

"That isn't the point. The point is she should allocate resources and time, and I need things to train them."

I rubbed the skin above my eyebrow. I so didn't have time for this.

"What exactly do you want from me, Tasha? I kind of have my plate full."

She looked back to Rose, looking her up and down and then turning back to me.

"Clearly," she said with a condescending tone. "Just talk to her. You can convince her."

"Fine," I grumbled.

Now get out so I can go for round number three with Rose.

There was an awkward silence when Tasha simply stayed, looking at me expectantly, but I didn't say anything. I just kept looking over her shoulder to Rose. After a few moments, she realized I wasn't going to ask her to stay or ask Rose to leave, so she humphed and left.

I sighed deeply and rubbed that spot above my eyebrow…again. Rose sauntered towards me with her hands on her hips.

"Do I need to be worried about her?"

I smiled.

"Of course not. I know she is interested in me, but I think I made it clear I am not interested in her."

"Well make it clearer. Usually, when you have made things clear, women don't show up naked in your bedroom."

I could detect a hint of jealousy and annoyance. But I found it amusing.

"Roza, being naked means something different to Dragons than to humans. After all, we are pretty much naked all the time while we are Dragon."

I saw she was thinking about that.

"So you weren't checking her out while she was so blatantly trying to draw your attention in front of me?"

"No Roza."

I moved closer to her and practically pressed my body against hers. I slid her nightgown over her shoulders, so she was naked before me. Seeing Dragons naked was a common occurrence, but seeing her like that in front of me, certainly did things to me.

"I didn't imagine running my hands up her legs."

And as I said it, I ran my fingers over the skin on her leg and hip.

"I didn't imagine kissing her flawless skin."

I kissed the skin on the side of her neck, nibbled on the spot where her neck connected to her shoulders and finally I claimed her mouth. I lifted her up and moved to the bed, placing her gently on the furs.

I bend down to whisper in her ear.

"I didn't imagine burying my cock deep inside of her."

She gasped but pressed her groin against me in a clear invitation. I had noticed that despite the fact she was inexperienced, she learned fast and wasn't too sheepish to tell me what she liked and what she wanted. She really was my equal in every way. And soon I was balls deep inside of her again.

I was trying to catch my breath after I had made love for the third time today with my beautiful Rose in my arms.

The sheets were leisurely draped over the two of us as we lay there in silence.

"We should really get up and get dressed. Didn't you say something about rigorous training?"

I laughed, I did. And honestly, the sooner we get started, the better.

She threw the sheets off of her and climbed out of bed. The view from here was amazing, and I had a hard time not dragging her back to bed for round four. But she was right. We needed to get up and train. Also, I could eat.

She walked over to the bowl of water in the corner and used the cloth to clean herself.

"I think I prefer your lake."

I did too. But I suppose it would be a long while before we would see that place again. But I knew that if we could get through this together, if we made it out of this training and this war alive, we would be able to be together and go back to the cave. And this time, I wouldn't let her leave.

I looked in the alcove for some clothes for the both of us. I had some things for myself, but I think I would have to borrow some clothing from my sister for Rose.

As if on cue, Viktoria walked in. Luckily Rose had just put on one of my shirts, that looked more like a dress on her. And at least I had already put on some pants.

She didn't even greet me when she came in; she practically tackled Rose in a hug accompanied by a large squeal.

"Oh my God. I knew it. I knew something was going on between you two. Oh, I am so glad to have you as a sister."

I saw Rose smile over my shoulder but roll her eyes at me at my sister's antics.

"When I last saw you, there wasn't anything going on between your brother and me."

Well, there had been a few awkward moments, some stray thoughts, but last night really had been the official start of our relationship.

"Details."

She said as she waved her hand. She gave Rose some clothes she could put on and turned to me.

"Babushka said you wanted to see me?"

Oh, Babushka. She must have told Viktoria to bring some clothes. I suppose we should discuss Lissa too.

"Yes, I have an official job for you."

Her eyes widened in excitement and a little fear. I knew she had been waiting to get involved in some more military stuff.

"I need you to guard Lissa, Rose's friend. She is a Royal in the human town Rose is from, and usually Rose protects her."

She placed her finger on her chin as she looked up.

"Oh yeah, I think I remember you mentioned her. But why can't Rose protect her?"

She turned towards Rose and cocked her head.

"Because right now I am a danger to her. I need to learn to control my flame, and the only place I can do that is here."

Somehow Viktoria seemed even more confused. And then it hit me. She wouldn't know Rose is a hybrid. Even now that the spell is broken, the smoky smell distinguishing Dragons from humans wasn't as powerful around Rose. And although I could feel power radiating off of her, I doubt anyone who hadn't felt it from her before would be able to detect it.

"Rose is Zmey's daughter. She's a hybrid. She found out yesterday."

She looked at me and then back at Rose and back to me again. Her mouth kept opening wider and wider.

"You're Zmey's daughter? You are sleeping with Zmey's daughter?"

The different questions were directed at each of us.

"That is what you took from that? Not that she is a hybrid, but that she is Zmey's daughter?" I asked her a little peeved.

She simply shrugged.

"Seems the more important of the two. But hey, her being a hybrid solves a lot of problems for you two. Although her being Zmey's daughter probably creates a few as well."

I sighed. Yes, it would. But I had already talked to Ibrahim, and he seemed to understand I loved her even if he didn't agree with me being in her life.

"Who is Zmey? Why do I keep hearing that name?"

Viktoria looked at me and walked away with her hands up in the air in surrender.

"I am not touching that one."

I had to stifle a chuckle.

I grabbed Rose's hand and sat her down on the bed.

"Zmey is what we call Ibrahim. Technically your father's name is Ibrahim the Shrewd or his human name Abe Mazur. But he has gathered another name around these passages, Zmey. He has shady dealings with pretty much everyone here. He is a powerful Dragon, and anyone in their right mind fears him. But I have seen how he feels about you. He loves you, and he sacrificed many things to keep you safe. You don't have to worry about him."

She seemed to mull that over, and then a large smile appeared on her face.

"My father is a mobster. He is a Dragon mobster. Makes a lot of sense really."


	20. Chapter 20

RPOV

I was putting on some of the clothes Viktoria had brought. She had given me some general items but also some training gear. I suppose I would need those. Her training gear was a little long in the legs and arms, but they were surprisingly snug on the chest.

After I had changed and turned around to Dimitri he growled, no doubt noticing the tight shirt. I giggled a little but put one hand on my hip, cocking it a bit as the other hand was in front of me waving my finger at him.

"None of that Comrade. We really do need to train before I blow up again."

He pulled me close and let his hands roam the tight shirt, but his hands did stay out of dangerous waters.

"Oh, I will make you blow again after training. But you won't hurt anyone again. Not like that. I'll make sure of it. But yeah, I need to prepare you."

The playful Dimitri was gone and before me stood General Dimitri the Honorable, his back straighter, his face sterner and his eyes hard and calculating. Suddenly, I felt the impact of what we were training me for. He needed to prepare me… for war.

We walked the short distance to a courtyard. People were staring as we passed by. Everyone was in Dragon form. I realized Dimitri being in his human form was a courtesy to me. I looked down at my feet. I didn't have a Dragon form. If we made it through this, and we could finally be together the way we wanted to, he would have to be human most of the time. Was I literally forcing him into a life not his own?

"You don't have to stay human on my account. I am fine if you want to be your true self."

He smiled at me.

"I will once we get to the training ground. You need to learn how to fight a Dragon. But Roza, this is my true self. And I have started to love my human form a lot more since I met you. Really, the only things I miss are my wings."

He wiggled the muscles on his back, right at the spot where his wings would be in his Dragon form. I missed them too. Flying with him was amazing. Maybe he could be in his Dragon form a lot around me? I loved sleeping against his warm scales and flying on his back. Really the only thing we couldn't do when he was Dragon was have sex and I had half a mind to experiment with that too. Although I hadn't really seen his junk yet when he was in Dragon form. I suppose it was nicely tucked between his hind legs.

We made it to the courtyard, and I realized it wasn't empty. Two Dragons were there as well. A light brown one and a red one. They greeted Dimitri with respect but were looking very curiously at me.

"Recruits. This is Rose; she will be training with us from now on."

Both Dragons looked at each other and then back to Dimitri. The question was on their lips, but they wisely held their tongue.

"Rose, this is Mason the red and Eddie the gold. They have recently joined my squad and have a lot to learn. They will be joining us for some of our training. Recruits, this is Rose, she is a hybrid and will be coming to war with us to fight the Snow Dragons."

This seemed to cause an even bigger reaction from the boys, but they still kept quiet.

I wanted to greet them properly, but while I wanted to outstretch my hand, I didn't know if shaking hands, or in this case talon and hand, would really work. So I opted for a hi by raising my hand.

Dimitri walked towards the bench not far away and stripped down. I was trying very hard not to blush or moan or jump him. I suspect the latter was frowned upon in training. But Dimitri did tell me being naked was different for Dragons, and Eddie and Mason didn't seem to be bothered by his clothesless physique.

The flames erupted from his body, and he grew at least tenfold until the Brown Dragon was standing in front of me. I had seen it before, but I think I would have to get used to it a little while longer.

"Today, I want to start on simple fire-breathing exercises and do some combat training. Rose, Christian will work with you on some specific exercises, but today I want you to focus on creating fire, any way you can. Dragons breathe fire, but it would probably work differently for you. You need to figure out how."

I nodded but was deeply afraid. I knew Dragons could handle more in terms of fire than Viktor or a field of corn. But I wish Dimitri had started with just the two of us. I was afraid I would hurt someone in the crossfire. I realized that is exactly why Dimitri had invited Eddie and Mason. He trusted me to control myself. And with extra people, I would try my hardest not to let the flame win.

"Show me how you do it," I asked him.

He nodded and took a deep breath. I saw the skin underneath the scales on his chest light up, and when he opened his mouth towards the sky, a powerful flame erupted and temporarily blinded me. I looked over to the two younger Dragons, and they also seemed to be impressed.

"Eddie, Mason, show me what you got," Dimitri instructed.

The boys looked at each other a little hesitantly but obeyed. They mimicked his movements and let out a stream of fire. Not as powerful as Dimitri's, but still impressive.

"Well, I am not sure what you want me to do Comrade? I am not sure where my fire should come out of me, and I am not looking forward to it blowing out of my ass."

That made the two boys laugh until Dimitri silenced them with a look. He looked at me a little annoyed and sighed deeply. Apparently, General Dimitri didn't have as much of a sense of humor as my Comrade did. But the small pull of his lips betrayed him.

"Just try Rose. Feel where the fire comes from and then just let it out."

I closed my eyes and looked within myself. With the binding spell gone, I should be able to feel it. I had felt the embers of my fire when I was Dimitri. I thought of him touching me, and I felt my skin heat up. I thought back to when I looked into the flame and felt that connection - that need to be closer to it. I purposely didn't think about the night with Viktor. I could never let that kind of power out again.

I felt a tingle inside of me and knew I had found it. I just didn't know how to bring it out. I started by concentrating on expanding the spark, as I had done with so many fires in my life. I had always been good at making fires; I realized this one wasn't any different. A fire needed fuel and air to grow, so I breathed in to give it air, and I lent my body for it to burn.

I looked down at my hands, and I saw it. My hands were on fire, but it didn't burn. I felt the fire spread towards my arms and all over my body. The flames almost seemed alive. It was like they were talking to me. Telling me it will be alright. Telling me I was their master, and in that moment I felt it. I felt control over them. I let them grow and grow until I felt Dimitri and the recruits step back.

"Roza?"

His voice snapped me out of my trance, and I stared at him. Eddie and Mason were further away than they had been a moment ago and they were shielding themselves from the heat I was emanating. They simply stared at me. Eddie seemed to be mostly in shock whereas Mason seemed to run his eyes up and down my body. I wondered why, until I looked down and realized I had burned my clothes off. I suppose I was fireproof, but unfortunately, my clothes were not. That could be a problem.

Dimitri came rushing towards me with his shirt, and I had to giggle as I let go of the flames, leaving completely naked and exposed.

"Roza, are you alright?"

I nodded.

"Yeah great. Just naked."

He chuckled a little.

"Run back inside and get another set of clothes. I think we will keep the fire practice for when Christian is around."

I nodded. I was about to walk back to his chambers when I turned around and asked him a question.

"I didn't notice. Where is it coming from? It isn't really coming out of my ass is it?"

He laughed, a full belly laugh.

"No Roza, it is coming from everywhere, you really are fire itself." His eyes locked with mine and I saw how he saw me, as powerful, as beautiful, as dangerous.

It took me about half an hour to come back and saw judging by the torched stuff around the courtyard, the boys had kept practicing.

"Okay, let's move on to some combat moves. Why don't you two spar for a bit so I can instruct Rose on a few things."

Combat technique. He wanted me to physically fight a Dragon? Fighting them with Magic was one thing, but fighting them head-on, with my hands, my tiny tiny hands?

"So I am not sure how I can really fight a Dragon with punches and kicks. I doubt they would even feel it."

He smiled.

"You being a lot smaller than a Dragon might be a disadvantage, but it could also be useful. Being smaller means you are harder to catch. They won't expect you, so they won't be looking for a small human trying to kill them. They will be looking for large Dragons, looking towards the sky, so you will always have the element of surprise. It also means it is easier for you to evade their moves."

He bent down a little and hit, or tried to hit a spot on the back of his neck.

"This is a spot that is very vulnerable in Dragons. We can't reach there, not with our arms or our wings. If you can get there, you can sever the spine and kill a Dragon instantly. This will be your main target."

He stood back up and handed me a dull blade.

"You will still need to cut underneath the scales, but that is a matter of a proper weapon. Now try and evade my moves and reach that spot."

I looked like he was crazy.

"Don't worry Roza; we will take it slow."

I nodded and squared off.

He lashed out at me, and I evaded. I knew he was taking it slow, but I also realized that I was used to human Dimitri. And being smaller did mean being faster. So Dragon Dimitri was much slower than his human counterpart. I sidestepped him and got hit in the ass. Okay yeah, Dragons have a larger reach too. So I need to cover more distance to get away than I would have when he was human.

I tried again. He charged and I ducked under his wing. I saw Dimitri had trouble keeping an eye on me, and I filed that away in my head as a blind spot for Dragons. Then I jumped his shoulder and launched myself onto his back. Well tried to anyway. I fell short and plummeted to the earth. And it was a long way from such a big Dragon.

I rubbed my ass as I stood up.

"Almost Rose. You need to work on your jump, but once you get there you will be safe, and the Dragon will be dead."

I nodded.

So the entire afternoon I tried to maneuver myself on his back. Eddie and Mason started to help, and by the end, I had been able to 'kill' Mason and Eddie once each, but Dimitri was just too damn tall.

"How tall are Snow Dragons anyway?"

Dimitri seemed to understand my question but wasn't pleased I asked it.

"It doesn't matter, you should be able to kill any Dragon that threatens you, even the freakishly tall ones."

Did he just call himself freakishly tall? And I did notice he said Dragons, as in any Dragon in general, not just Snow Dragons.

"I know, but I am just wondering, statistic wise, how likely I am to die."

I heard Eddie and Mason snicker from behind Dimitri. I saw his scowl increase. He seemed to like my sassiness in the sack but not in the field, especially in front of his recruits. But he could take it or leave it. I was Rose all the time.

"I think we should call it a day. We worked hard today."

Eddie and Mason seemed to grow under his praise and I realized these boys practically worshipped him as their leader.

To my surprise, Eddie and Mason transformed into humans and put on some clothes as we walked back to the Dragon stronghold. I think they did it out of respect for me and I appreciated it.

"So see you again tomorrow Rose?" Mason asked as we parted ways on a cross-section.

Was it my imagination, or was he hopeful he would?

"Well, that would depend on General 'No Fun' over there."

They both stifled a laugh. I winked at them as Dimitri approached. Once they saw Dimitri heading this way, they straightened up and bid me a formal farewell.

Dimitri steered me towards his chambers.

When I walked in, I was immediately tackled by a blonde with a small frame. She hugged me so tight I actually gasped for air.

"Lissa?"

"Rose!"

"Can't breathe."

"Oh."

She let go, and I took in a nice gulp of fresh air.

"I was so worried about you Rose. Christian told me you were with Dimitri, but other than that he didn't know anything more."

She glanced back towards Christian, and I saw her cheeks blush, and I saw a gentle smile on Christian's face. They'd only spent two days with each other, but I could already tell something was going on.

"What happened Rose?"

I looked over to Dimitri, and he nodded as he led Christian out of his chambers, giving Lissa and I some privacy.

"Did Christian say anything?" I asked. I wondered if Christian knew I was a hybrid. He had seen the devastation in the cornfield, but I wondered if he knew I had caused it.

Lissa shook her head. I sat down next to Lissa on our rock/bed. I took a deep breath and explained about the night I was no longer human.

"When Dimitri and I talked that night, it wasn't just about me forgiving him. He had come to explain himself, but he had also come to tell me something he'd learned about me."

I looked at the ceiling, making a point of not looking at Lissa.

"I lied to you. Those markings weren't on the cave walls; they were on me."

Lissa seemed confused as she scrunched up her nose.

"Why would a Dragon binding spell be on you?"

"To bind my Dragon half. I am a hybrid, Liss. My father is a Dragon. Actually, he is the merchant, Abe Mazur. He is my father. It is how he knew about the markings. He is the one that put them on me in the first place."

I looked over to Lissa trying to see if she would freak out, or yell, or scream. I suddenly felt the same anticipation Dimitri must have had when I first saw his Dragon form. I kept waiting for her to scream and run, but she didn't. She didn't even flinch. She just looked serene and regal as she brushed some dirt off of her dress.

"Well, that makes sense."

That is it? Yeah, it felt like I finally had that missing piece of the puzzle I had been searching for my entire life. I finally felt whole, now that my powers were no longer bound. But I didn't think Lissa would understand so easily.

"Is that why you are here? Because you want to be closer to your people? To him?"

She was fidgeting with her dress. She was afraid I would leave her. Leave her for Dimitri. I wondered if Dimitri had a similar fear of me leaving him for Lissa. It really didn't matter right now anyway. The choice was made for me.

I had always been there for Lissa as long as I remembered. She was my family, my sister. But I had no choice but to leave her now. And I think it was more than just protecting her from me. I also needed to figure out who I was without her. I hadn't just been there for Lissa. I had lived for Lissa and now the universe had all but forced me to live for myself. And I knew I needed time to figure out who hybrid Rose was. Human Rose had no life of her own, always putting Lissa's needs in front of her own. But hybrid Rose simply couldn't do that. I had to separate myself a little from Lissa to be able to be my own person and to discover who I really am. But even if I knew all these things, I couldn't help feeling like I was abandoning her. She was my responsibility, and although I knew Viktoria would be able to protect her, I would never forgive myself if anything happened to her.

"No, Lissa. Right now I need to be here to learn to control myself. The night Viktor took you, the binding spell broke, and without it, I can be volatile. I can't be around you or any other human right now. I might hurt them."

She got up and actually looked a little-pissed off.

"But who is going to protect me when you are not there, Rose? I don't want a stranger guarding me."

I rolled my eyes. I was an explosion hazard and she was worried how it might affect her?

"I took care of it, Lissa, like I always do. Dimitri's sister is going to guard you. You will like her. She is chatty and loves dress shopping. I know you two will hit it off."

She didn't seem very happy, but she sat down anyway and nodded solemnly. Something occurred to her then as we were discussing that night.

"What happened to Viktor?"

I felt my breath hitch in my chest. How could I tell her that the man that had been like an uncle to her, was dead because of me? But then again her image of Viktor had shattered that night anyway.

"I killed him, Liss. I pretty much…"

I made a gesture with my hands mimicking an explosion. She simply gasped.

"That is why I can't be around you, or any human right now. What Viktor did was wrong, but he didn't deserve that."

She really couldn't look at me. I didn't know if she blamed me, or was simply mourning him, or the man she thought he was. Or maybe she was upset because she lost the last connection she had to her parents?

"When will you come back?"

I didn't know. Not only did I need to learn to control this but I was also going to be going to war, and something told me Dragon wars lasted a bit longer than human wars. Would it take months, years, centuries? But I knew I couldn't be around Lissa before I had full control over my powers.

"I don't know Liss, but I will try and hurry up."

I winked, trying to keep the topic light and not a farewell to the only friend I had ever known.

"So tell me about you and Christian. What is going on there?"

She blushed and told me in intricate detail, much to my dismay, how they had fallen in love and how she had given her maidenhood to Christian. I can't believe she did that. But somehow it felt strangely fitting we lost both of our virginities, almost simultaneously, and both to Dragons. It would make for good gossip. But I realized where Dimitri and I had centuries to spend together and could plan a future if we survived that is, Lissa had a much shorter lifespan with Christian, and he would be going to war soon too.

* * *

Sorry, I was a bit sick this weekend. Here the belated update


	21. Chapter 21

DPOV

I walked away with Christian, leaving the girls to talk. I didn't want to go far because if I felt something stir in Rose, I could still intervene. But I knew she was getting a handle on things. She still had a long way to go, but today had been a good first step.

But either she needed to learn how to control her flame exactly or we would have to get her some fireproof clothes.

Christian was fidgeting beside me. He seemed to want to ask me something but was afraid to. I wondered what that was about. Christian knew me well, and I didn't think there was anything he thought he couldn't ask or say. He was usually pretty blunt about these things.

"Spit it out, Christian."

He sighed deeply.

"Will you go with me to your Grandmother's. I am… a little scared to go by myself."

I stopped walking and looked at him. What did he want with my grandmother?

"Why? I thought you said only crazy people had dealings with Yeva."

He sighed deeply but had a dreamy expression on his face.

"But I am crazy. Crazy in love. I want to ask Yeva about the longevity spell. I want to use it on Lissa."

I didn't really know what to say. I had mentioned the longevity spell to Christian once, and he had called me crazy for considering it. It seemed a very large turnaround in a very short period of time.

"You have known her all of two days."

His dreamy expression was exchanged with a scowl.

"And you barely know Rose a few weeks. How is this any different?"

I suppose he was right. I had no right to judge. I had considered the spell myself, at one time. But I was glad I didn't need it. One it would be a strange conversation with Rose and second I could only think of the payment my grandmother would ask for.

"Are you sure? Have you talked to Lissa about this? You know my grandmother's price is high."

"I know. And I did talk to her. She feels the same way. We want to be together. I told her I was on the brink of war, but she is willing to wait for me. Dimitri, I have to try. I will do anything. Just come with me. Maybe she won't stiff me as much if you come with me."

I chuckled. Actually, I think she would stiff him even more. But I wisely kept that to myself.

We walked towards my mother's and grandmother's chamber.

My mother was there to greet me, and she hugged me tightly.

"Bring her around soon will you."

I nodded but looked towards my Babushka. My mother seemed to realize we were here on business. She stepped aside to let us pass.

As if she was expecting us, my grandmother was seated on her rock looking expectantly at the door.

"Sit down boy."

Neither of us knew who she meant by that, so we both sat down at her request.

"Why are you here?"

Christian looked over at me expectantly, and I simply nodded in encouragement. He was fidgeting with his talon. He tried to speak several times, but nothing seemed to come out.

"Oh spit it out, boy. I am not getting any younger."

I stifled a laugh as I saw Christian visibly pale.

"Right, sorry ma'am. I… I wanted to ask you to perform a longevity spell on a human."

My grandmother didn't seem shocked. Then again she rarely did. I doubt she was often asked to perform this kind of spell. Dragons hardly ever had long-term relationships with humans. But there must have been some instances otherwise the spell wouldn't have been invented in the first place.

"That is a complicated spell. It won't come cheap."

"I know. I am willing to pay anything."

Her eyes narrowed, and I sucked in a breath. Wrong thing to say to Yeva. If you offer her anything, she will take anything.

She seemed to mull it over for a while, making Christian sweat. She looked at me, and I thought I saw a little bit of sadness in her eyes. She turned back to Christian.

"At one point in the future, you will have to choose between what is best for the army or saving Dimitri. I want you to save my grandson, no matter the consequences for yourself or the army."

I looked at her a little shocked. Not only because she predicted something horrible would happen to me, but also because she was wasting a payment on me.

Christian looked from me to her and back. He was considering his options. Now normally he wouldn't hesitate, he would save me regardless. But Yeva had made it sound like saving me would mean deserting the army and going rogue. That could have severe consequences for him. He wasn't just putting my life on the line. He was also putting his future on the line. But it didn't seem to deter him. I saw the determination in his eyes as his decision was made. He must love Lissa very much.

"I accept your payment. I will save Dimitri when the time comes."

She nodded. I wanted to protest, but Yeva silenced me with a wave of her hand.

"Then it is settled."

"So when can I bring her by."

My grandmother let out a snort.

"I don't know how it works in your world, boy, but you have to pay before you get the goods. Don't worry you will have time."

With that she dismissed us.

I walked a slightly relieved and a slightly disappointed Christian to his chambers, where I have no doubt Lissa will join him.

"I arranged for Viktoria to guard Lissa while Rose is here. I think it best if she would escort Lissa back to the palace soon. We have a lot of work to do. And something tells me we have little time in which to do it in."

Christian nodded. His mood suddenly turned serious, and I saw the soldier he was. He knew this was no place for Lissa right now, he knew she would be safe from our war in her village, but that didn't mean it was easy to let her go. But I was a little jealous. Yes, I would have my love with me, but we would be facing almost certain death, so even though I could hold her in my arms at night, I would always wonder if this was our last night together. But then again, he didn't have any guarantee he would be coming back either - only that she would survive. But still, if I had a choice I would have chosen for Rose to be safe. But as Rose and Yeva had made abundantly clear, it wasn't my choice. And I think Rose should be grateful for that. I would never let her leave the safety of the cave.

I walked back to my room and saw Rose lying on the bed just staring at the ceiling. I sat down next to her. She seemed to be deep in thought, yet still registered as I sat down.

She grabbed my hand but still wasn't looking at me.

"Do you think I will ever see her again?"

I laid down next to her, never letting go of her hand.

"I don't know. I can't predict the future, Rose. All I can promise is that I will try and keep you alive. And when we do return, it will be safe for you to return to Lissa."

I hadn't meant to sound so jealous, but I was. I was jealous of her relationship with Lissa. I knew it would work out well if we did end up surviving. Lissa would be with Christian, so we would see each other all the time. And if Lissa were with Christian, she would be immersed in the world of Dragons, too. We protected our own. So Rose could spend some more time with me if she wanted. But still I felt like I wasn't just sharing her time with Lissa, I was also sharing Rose's heart. I just hoped there was enough room for the two of us.

She nodded at my words and squeezed my hand. She snuggled a little closer to me, but suddenly pulled back. She was biting her lip. She seemed hesitant to ask, so I was wondering what kind of kinky things she had in mind. But her question did more than arouse me; it made me love her even more.

"Do you mind being a Dragon tonight? I want to sleep against your warm scales."

The sentiment was so sweet. She wanted to enjoy my Dragon form too. I was feeling all warm inside, and it had nothing to do with my internal flame. Of course, Rose wouldn't be Rose if she didn't ruin an intimate romantic moment.

"Now be a good Dragon and be a nice bed warmer. I am tired from all that training General serious-pants put us through."

Aaand, the warm feeling was gone. But it was replaced by a chuckle. Only she could get away with it. And for good measure, she petted me once I had changed.

I was about to retort when she snuggled in closer to me, wrapped in furs and nothing else, the heat of her naked skin against my scales. I liked the feeling of her skin against mine but realized I loved the feeling of her soft flesh against my hard scales more. Somehow, being in my Dragon form, made this even more intense, maybe because my scales weren't used to being touched so gently.

And in that position, we fell asleep. Rose safely cocooned by my much larger body.

The next morning it was business as usual. I woke up a very reluctant Rose, and we dressed in our training gear. I made Rose bring an extra set of training gear in case her clothes burned up again.

I stayed in my Dragon form so I wouldn't have to change once we got to the courtyard. Rose stayed by my side as we walked and talked towards the training area. She was very comfortable talking with my larger form. She looked up to talk to me or make a face at something I said, but she didn't seem to realize that I was at least ten times as big as her. And honestly, neither did I. Because talking with her and being with her was just so natural, no matter what form I was in. She seemed to agree.

We made it to the patch of grass on the side of the hill a little away from the stronghold, and I saw Eddie and Mason waiting there. They were in human form and the moment we arrived they both walked up to Rose and started talking. Rose fell in easily with them. It was like she had always been a part of their group. One part of me was elated. If she was able to win these two over so quickly, I am sure other Dragons won't be too far behind. But I also felt a little jealous. They were able to treat her like a friend here. I couldn't. I couldn't be her lover right now; I needed to be the General. I needed to prepare her for war, not friendship. But I had to constantly remind myself that here on the field, and later in actual battle, she would be a soldier in my battalion. I was able to do it now, but I wondered how I would fare in battle. Would I be able to do my job as General, or would I constantly be looking out for her, worrying about her? I realized it would depend on how much I trusted her skill in battle. I would always be worried, but I also knew Rose wasn't helpless.

I was preparing the course, and the three of them were talking. Christian would join us in an hour or so. Apparently, he needed to sleep in. Meaning he needed to spend some time with Lissa before she and Viktoria would leave for her palace this morning.

When I turned towards the three to instruct them, they had a peculiar look on their faces. All three of them identical. I didn't like it at all. I may not recognize the look in the two boys, but I could read Rose like a book and her eyes betrayed her inner mischief. I had no idea what they were up to, but if they were planning a prank on me, she would be in so much trouble.

"Okay, let's get started. Eddie, Mason, start with combat techniques. Rose, practice your jumps. You have to be able to reach me."

She saluted me with a smile on her face, instead of a groan whinging she wouldn't be able to. That should have been my first clue.

They started off slow, and I watched them as they practiced. All three of them were improving. Eddie was more controlled in his movements, whereas Mason had more passion that drove him. And Rose, Rose was simply grace incarnate. Her movements were beautiful to watch, yet so deadly. If she would be able to get the high jump, she might actually have a chance at killing some Snow Dragons and be bloody good at it too. But Rose wasn't very tall, even for a human. I wondered if she was even physically able. Was I asking too much of her?

I was working with Eddie when I saw Rose lock eyes with Mason. I noticed because I always kept Rose in my sight. She gave a slight nod and started to run at Mason. He bent down, and she jumped on his back, and he leaped into the air the next moment. I was so focused on her, I didn't see Eddie move to the sky. He was flying behind me and a little above me. And to my utmost horror, with the grace of a jungle cat Rose jumped from Mason's back towards Eddie. The leap was far, and I worried she would fall, but she didn't because Mason was flying slightly higher than Eddie and me. Once she landed on Eddie, she used him as a foothold to jump to me. Right on the spot on my back. She had her practice sword in her hand, and I felt the blunt end hit the exact spot I had shown her.

She leaned in a little, so she was closer to my large head.

"Dead," she whispered with a little too much triumph and lust in her voice.

Yes, I was dead. I realized she probably wouldn't have been able to reach my heights on her own. But maybe she didn't need to. She wasn't alone. What she had done was brilliant.

Hatchlings that aren't able to fly yet often do this with parents and siblings. They jump from back to back, so they can feel the wind beneath their wings and start to glide. Rose will never fly, but she was a Dragon at heart, and she belonged in the sky. She just needed some help.

She climbed down from my back and stood before me, proud. Eddie and Mason stood next to her, and they too were looking expectantly at me.

"That was brilliant."

I finally said. And the three of them had identical looks on their faces again - one of pride.

"Keep practicing that. I will join in too. Rose, you need to learn how far away Dragons can be from each other for you to still make the jump. Also, you need to learn how to hide behind our backs, by keeping your body pressing against us. That way Snow Dragons won't see you until the last possible moment."

I hated to say it because I didn't want to base a strategy on Rose alone; one that would put her in even more danger. But as a General, I had no choice. Did I have a choice as a lover?

I decided it shouldn't be my decision to make. Like everything else, Rose had been strong enough to decide these things herself, and I am sure it had been Rose who had come up with this particular little stunt.

"I think we just have found our secret weapon."

Rose eyes lit up with excitement and wonder. She practically grew a few inches under my praise, so did the boys. I suppose my role was different for Rose too. She respected me as her General when it came to this.

"General!"

His bellow was heard in all direction for miles, no doubt.

Zmey. He was coming at us from behind, and between Eddie and Mason, I suppose he hadn't even seen Rose. She was mostly blocked from sight by the three of us.

"How dare you? I spend all this time protecting her. And now I hear not only is the binding spell broken, you are taking her to war? Are you insane?"

I turned around and growled at him.

"You think I like this? If it were up to me, I would tie her in the cave and never let her leave again so that she wouldn't get hurt."

"So why isn't she? I am not afraid of your grandmother; I can't believe you would risk her life over something your grandmother said. Grow some balls, General."

Black smoke started to come out of my nostrils.

"Hey"

"Look Zmey… I understand things didn't go as you planned, but insult me again…"

"Hey!"

Both of us looked down at the high-pitched tone that emanated from the small figure standing between us. Neither of us had noticed. Then again Rose was awfully small in her human form compared to us.

"One, he has plenty of balls, so shut it. And two, maybe next time you plan my whole life for me, maybe it would be nice to include ME!"

She picked up her stuff and walked away, leaving a stunned Abe and me behind.


	22. Chapter 22

RPOV

I can't believe it. This was my first meeting with my father when I actually knew he was my father, and he hadn't even noticed me. And if that wasn't bad enough, he thought he could just waltz up to Dimitri and tell him what he should and shouldn't do with me?

I didn't let anybody tell me what to do. Not my mother, not Dimitri and certainly not my father. But Dimitri seemed to be the only one who accepted that.

I knew Dimitri was struggling with letting me go to war. I saw he was petrified of losing. I was afraid too, but I knew where I needed to be. And today I felt I could really contribute. Jumping through the air felt so natural. I suppose that was part of my Dragon heritage. I saw Dimitri had had a hard time deciding if he thought this was a good development. I knew he had reluctantly accepted my wish and his grandmother's order for me to go with them to war. But I knew what he said to Abe was true. If he had his way, I would never be put in any danger in the first place. But that wasn't me. And I was glad Dimitri didn't force me into what he wanted, instead treating me like a valuable resource in his forces.

Abe, on the other hand, hadn't gotten the message.

I threw myself onto the bed. It wasn't long before I heard footsteps coming around the corner. I had expected Dimitri to check up on me, but I what I saw was a very uncomfortable not to mention flashy clothed Dragon in human form. Abe struck me as the kind of Dragon that didn't do nervous. And the emotion now looked very foreign on him.

"Rosemarie...I"

"It's Rose, only my mother calls me Rosemarie, and I think she does it to annoy me. She knows I prefer Rose."

He nodded, wisely not siding with my mother on that, even though he was most likely involved in picking the name.

"Rose. I wanted to explain a few things."

I sat up on the bed. I crossed my legs and motioned for him to sit on a chair in front of me. I found it odd that there was a small chair meant for humans, or Dragons in human form, in a room clearly designed for Dragons, but it came in handy now.

He sat down. The movement almost seemed strange to him and I noticed that Dimitri seemed much more comfortable in his human body than Abe did. I suppose Dimitri spend more time in human form.

He was rubbing his hands, not really knowing where to start. I took mercy on him and helped him along.

"Why don't you tell me how you and Mom met, and how I ended up with a binding spell placed on me?"

He nodded. But the silence told me I didn't help much. After he had collected his thoughts for a few moments he took a deep breath and started.

"I met your mother, like all Dragons meet a human woman - while I was visiting a human tavern. Your mother was young and beautiful and fierce. She told me she was a handmaiden, but I suspected from the start that there was more to it than that. The moment she dispatched a man twice her size in the bar for trying to feel her up, I knew I was right. It was also the moment I think I fell in love with her. We spent almost every moment together for about a month. But she had to get back to her duty, and I had to get back to my own business. I was reluctant to leave her behind, but our lives were simply too far apart."

I knew the feeling. In the beginning, I thought Dimitri and I wouldn't be able to spend much time together because we both had responsibilities in our lives. I suppose it was the same for them.

"Did she know you were a Dragon at that point? Did you tell her from the start?"

He smiled. I am guessing he knew Dimitri had lied to me about being Dragon and by the smug look on his face he had handled it a bit differently with my mother.

"She did. I told her on the second night. She simply shrugged and told me she thought I was odd. She figured I wasn't human, because her first instinct with men had usually been to kick them in the balls, but she didn't have that with me."

I snorted. Not only couldn't I imagine my proper mother wording it like that, but it came eerily close to my encounter with Jesse. I didn't want to believe I had anything in common with my mother, but I had to concede on this point.

"We parted ways, and we lived our lives for a while. I didn't know where she was and I doubted she knew where I was either. One night I got nostalgic and came back to the tavern where we met. She was sitting there by the fire. She looked as beautiful as ever. As if she could sense me she turned around. A small but sad smile came across her face. When she got up, I saw the small swell of her belly and I knew in that moment the child was mine. She had just started to show. The first thing that I did was kiss her and hug her and put my hand on her belly. I felt you in that moment. You were too small for a human to feel your movements, but I could tell. From that moment forward my business wasn't the most important thing in my life anymore. You were. I would do anything to protect you."

"Like put a binding spell on me?"

He looked down at his hands, rubbing them together again.

"When I put my hand on her stomach I also felt how powerful you were. Even when you were that small. I knew the rumors of hybrids - how unstable they can become. And the more powerful you are, the more likely you are to lose control. So I went to Yeva to ask her to help me.

Once you were born, she put the spell on you. I felt the moment the spell bound your powers. It was like I could no longer see the part you inherited from me in you. Like you were cut off from me. You were human. Yeva told me my presence would weaken the hold of the spell. So I removed myself from your life. Or at least I tried too. I always kept an eye on you, protecting you from the shadows. I watched you grow up into this beautiful woman. I was always there. Even if you didn't know."

"But I did know. I just didn't know you were my father. But I knew a Dragon was watching over me."

My eyes locked with him and a smile appeared on both our faces. I suppose I hadn't had a father in almost eighteen years, but he didn't have a daughter for that time. But after this heart to heart and mushy stuff, it was time to show him some of the things I did inherit from him.

"If you have watched over me all these years, you know I have trained my entire life."

He nodded.

"If you have watched me, you will have seen me overcome countless obstacles."

He nodded again.

"If you have watched me, you will have noticed that I make my own decisions. And that ANYONE standing in my way or who tells me what to do is in for a rude awakening."

He paled a little as the words sunk in.

"If you want to build a relationship with me it is going to be on my terms. _I_ decide what happens with my life. You have no say in it. I value your opinion, but you don't get to decide for me. I understand you and my mother made the decision for me when I was a baby, and I paid the price for that over the last eighteen years. Never fitting in; always feeling different, always feeling incomplete. I finally have that piece of me back. I am finally where I am supposed to be and I won't let anyone ruin that for me. So either get on the 'Rose is going to war' bandwagon or get out."

He just sat there, speechless. Again I don't think it happened very often.

"You can't ask me just to sit back and watch my daughter throw herself into almost certain death."

I could actually see the anguish in his eyes. I didn't know what it was like to have a child, but I knew there was nothing like the pain of losing one. And I could see the fear in his eyes. But If I gave in to him now, I would always do that.

"You can't protect me from everything. I can help people. I can help win this war. Yeva said I am crucial. I have to go."

He came a little closer and touched my cheek. The gesture was so gentle, so vulnerable; I was afraid he would crumble before me if I moved.

"I know. It doesn't mean I have to like it. Your mother was the same way. I would have supported her. I would have protected her. I wanted to take her away from the life she had. Where she had to protect someone else even if it meant her death. But like you, she was exactly where she wanted to be. Where she was needed. But you can't blame a father for wanting his daughter to take after him in that regard."

I smiled a little, although I think I take after him a lot too.

I got up as I moved past him, needing to get out of this room. The feels were starting to suffocate me. I had a strange sense Abe needed a different scene too after this emotional conversation. I suppose he didn't have these very often.

I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Well, I suppose I will get back to training then, old man. Give myself a better chance of making it back."

He chuckled but walked me out of the room.

That afternoon was intense. My first practice session with Christian made us realize we would have to practice in a more remote region, preferably without trees around, or grass, or anything…alive. I had also been practicing the jumping. It required a delicate understanding between jumped and jumpee. And no surprise, Dimitri and I seemed to be in tune the most. I needed to jump toward the place where the Dragon was going to be, not where they were. I had nearly crashed to the ground when Mason and I were out of sync, but luckily Dimitri had caught me. He had looked horrified and I knew he had been moments away from banishing me to the rear of the battalion again, but as he had caught me, I had laughed and laughed. It was a little disturbing. But the last few days I have never felt so alive.

After a few hours of practice, Dimitri called it quits.

I was lying in the grass, the small patch still green, trying to catch my breath.

"I have a meeting with the Queen, I'll see you later."

I knew by the stormy look on his face, he wasn't looking forward to going to the queen. I nodded and waved my hand, honestly too tired to get up.

He chuckled as he walked away.

A few moments later I felt two boys lay down beside me on either side.

"You know, Rosie, I already feel safer with you by my side. You're amazing."

Mason sounded funny and seemed to be joking at first, but the last sentence contained more adoration than I was comfortable with.

I didn't know what it was with Dragons, but other than Jesse that just wanted me for the bragging rights, human boys stayed far away from me. But Dragons seemed to be attracted to me like flies. What was up with that?

"I am amazing. I also smell. I need a bath."

I got up with a loud groan, and Eddie lent me a hand so I could get up, all my earlier grace gone and replaced by the telltale gait of a person that has trained too hard and too long.

Together, we walked back.

"So Rose, where are you staying? I haven't seen you in the recruit dorm."

I cocked an eyebrow and I realized Mason didn't know. I saw Eddie shake his head behind Mason, although Mason was too focused on me to notice. Eddie seemed to have picked up on it, but Mason seemed clueless. Now I knew Mason had a little crush on me, but now I appreciated Mason thought he actually had a shot with me. The fact I always came in with Dimitri, left with Dimitri, and that he seemed particularly protective of me had apparently not registered with him.

I was about to say I was staying with Dimitri because we were together, but when Mason looked at me with big puppy dog eyes, I couldn't.

"In some private chambers in the palace."

"Cool."

Eddie gave me a look, like asking me if this was wise. But if he was so worried about it, he could tell Mason.

"Well, I'll see you guys around."

I waved them goodbye and walked towards the room. On my request, a bathtub had been delivered. There was a lake nearby where Dragons bathed but I wasn't comfortable there, and neither was Dimitri. So he had arranged for the bathtub. A rather big one, too. I noticed it was filled with scalding hot water when I walked in. He must have had it filled before he met with the Queen. He was so thoughtful.

I undressed and climbed into the bathtub, immersing myself in the heat.

The hot water washed away the dirt, grime, and ash from my body. I added a nice smelling oil which filled the room with its scent. Once I was finished, I climbed out of the bathtub and noticed the oil made me smell nice too. I was glad. I was smelling rather disgusting a moment ago.

I had just dried myself off when Dimitri walked in. His scowl turned into a smile, and then into a lustful smirk as he took in my naked form.

I sashayed over to him.

"Everything okay with the Queen?"

He nodded and sighed deeply.

"She is just nervous and with good reason. And Tasha had been berating her about leadership, so she wanted my opinion…again."

"Dimitri? About this morning…"

He put his hands up effectively silencing me.

"I know I shouldn't have said that. I know you make your own decisions. I just want you to be safe. But I am sorry."

I smiled.

"I thought it was cute. I get it. I get that putting me on the front lines is a hard decision. I also worry about you. But as long as we are together we can deal with anything. That isn't what I meant."

He cocked his eyebrow in confusion.

"I heard something about being tied up?"

His face changed instantly and a low growl erupted from his throat, so did a puff of smoke. I held out my hands in front of him and he was desperately looking around for something to tie me up with.

It didn't take long for him to find something and we moved to the bed. He was taking off his own clothes in a hurry on the way. He nearly tripped over his pants. I laid myself on the bed and stretched my hands above my head, joining them at the wrists. Dimitri bent over me as he tied my wrists together, letting his hands explore me a little on the way up.

The bed, well rock, didn't have a bedpost to tie me up to, but Dimitri quickly fixed that. He used one of his massive hands to keep my hands restrained above my head. Between his hand and the rope, I wasn't going anywhere. And why on earth would I want to?

I could feel his hard, straining cock against my inner thigh. He was kissing my neck and lapping at my ear. Sometimes he would whisper things in my ear. I couldn't understand them, but I clearly heard Roza in there a few times. His hot breath on my neck, his deep voice whispering beautiful things to me and his lips brushing against the sensitive skin on my neck and below my ear, all added to my desperation, and it wasn't long before I begged him to touch me, to take me.

He obeyed and moved one hand down towards my wet folds. He played on the rim a little, spreading my juices before he moved one finger inside, then two.

He moved them in and out at a leisurely pace at first. He quickly picked up the speed and I could feel that pressure building, but I needed a little more.

Dimitri lifted his head where he had nestled it in my hair and looked at me. His smirk was wide and I detected mischief in his eyes. What was he up to? I swear if he withdrew his fingers, now, I would drown him in the bathtub.

But he didn't withdraw his fingers. He plunged them deeper, and I could feel a strange sensation emanating from them. It felt like… oh, my god, he was heating up his fingers from the inside. The heat brought on an entirely different sensation. I could feel him everywhere, his heat penetrating my core, and spreading across my body. My toes started to tingle and I went slightly dizzy as I came hard, bucking against my restraints, throwing my head back and arching upwards.

Dimitri withdrew his fingers, grabbed his cock and lined up. In one fell swoop, he entered me and started to move within me even before my orgasm had subsided. His movements were large and frantic. I was practically screaming underneath him. I was so sensitive, and he had entered me just as my orgasm was fading, but it felt like he was just prolonging it now. He actually had to place his hand over my mouth. One hand was still restraining my wrists, the other preventing me from letting everyone know exactly what we are doing.

I was very vulnerable in this position. He had me completely immobilized. I could barely breathe with his hand covering me, but who needed air when you had a Dragon giving you the best and longest orgasm of your life? I couldn't actually tell if I came again, or just kept coming, but I suppose those were details. He buried his head in my hair, and I felt him flood me with his warm seed, letting out a loud growl. He fell on top of me spent. He did remove his hands, so I would be able to breathe again - something my body seemed to want now that it was satisfied in other areas.

"That…was…amazing."

He simply smiled at my compliment. He, too, seemed too exhausted to even talk.


	23. Chapter 23

DPOV

After about thirty minutes of coming back to earth and catching our breath, we finally made it out of bed and got dressed. We still had to eat. Although now that I thought about it, getting dressed really wasn't required for eating. As a matter of fact, I was envisioning Rose naked, with fruit on her belly and juicy grease on her face.

I was about to suggest we return to our spot on the bed and do just that when Adrian walked in. Well at least getting dressed had a purpose.

"Cousin, little human," he greeted and sat down in the chair with a big umph. I could tell he was here to whine. He had a habit of doing that, and since he usually whined about one person, in particular, I wasn't looking forward to this.

"Have you missed the news, Adrian the Charming? The human thing is apparently overrated," Rose quipped back. I forgot they met in town just before Rose and I made up, and before Rose found out she wasn't as human as she thought she was.

"Ah, yes, I have heard, but the nicknames are hard to get rid off, even if they aren't accurate anymore."

"Yes, I see what you mean. Charming must have been given to you a long time ago."

Adrian actually looked a little hurt, but I laughed hard. It wasn't often Adrian got called out, but Rose was just the kind of person to do that. I wondered what kind of nickname Rose would get. Rose the Fierce? Rose the Funny? Rose the Smartass?

"Adrian, what can I help you with? I do have other things to do than cater to your every whim."

He eyed Rose up and down, and I didn't like the look he gave her at all.

"Yes, I imagine you would."

I also detected a hint of jealousy and sadness.

He bent over and placed his underarms on his legs. He was rubbing his hands together, not looking at Rose or me.

"Do you think she is right?"

I looked over to Rose, but she seemed as lost as I was.

"Tasha, do you think she is right? Is Tatiana too conservative, shouldn't we add more special forces to the military instead of only soldiers?"

I had thought long and hard about this too.

"I think right now Tatiana is making the right decision. Our military is good and structured because of our soldiers. It is already going to be hard for them to adjust to this more guerilla style war. Adding more changes will only make us more vulnerable. We have a few non-soldiers mixed in, and I see that battalions have a hard time adjusting to that. So for now, I think it would be suicide to expand that. But when we have won this war and have survived, I will recommend we start training soldiers to work together with non-soldiers. I saw what some of them can do, and I think they would be a good addition to our troops."

For instance, what Rose, Eddie, and Mason have done is amazing. But they are young. I know Rose would have been rejected by some of the older soldiers. It is why Christian is in my squad; no other would take him. It is going to require a new mindset from soldiers, and that is something they didn't do well. If I can show that it works well in my battalion, they may be more accepting. But until then, we will need to adhere to the old structure.

Adrian seemed to think about my words.

"I don't like agreeing with Tasha; she is way too pushy."

That made Rose snort, and I shook my head.

"And I agree with you that changing anything right now is not a good idea. Maybe I can bring it up with Tatiana again once this is over? Maybe you can help convince her."

His voice trailed off toward the end. There were a few unspoken words there. 'If I survived.'

I nodded. Tatiana wasn't stupid by any means; she understood the value of people very well. But she was also conservative. I wondered how much convincing she would need. Maybe dying in battle wasn't so bad after all.

"So how about you, little human? Settling in a bit?"

Rose nodded.

"I am actually. Dimitri and Christian are helping me train. Dimitri is having me work with two of the younger recruits from his battalion, so I'll know how things are run once we have to fight the Snow Dragons."

I saw Adrian's jaw drop and he looked me almost angry. He seemed to be fiercely protective of Rose, and although I appreciated the sentiment, I didn't really like where it was coming from.

"You're letting her go to war?"

His voice dripped with accusation towards me. I was about to defend myself and Rose, but I should have known Rose didn't need any defending.

She stood up with a huff and walked over to Adrian. He looked shocked at her enraged expression. She poked her finger at his chest and kept poking with each word she uttered.

"First of all, Dimitri doesn't LET me do anything. Second of all, I am so sick of people treating me like I am weak. I am not weak. You saw the devastation I caused in the cornfield. I need to be around people who can teach me how to control it. And if I can't, I need to be able to unleash it, and what better way of doing that than on Snow Dragons? So before you come here, aghast that a poor defenseless, weak girl like me would go to war, you should get your facts straight, Adrian the Charming."

She was fuming at the end. Adrian could do little but stare at her. I don't think anybody ever told him off like that. He was heir to the throne after all. But I had quickly learned Rose didn't care for titles. And apparently, she didn't like being babied either. I was glad I had chosen a different path, because looking at her now, practically screaming at Adrian with rage, I was genuinely scared and was grateful it wasn't directed at me.

When Adrian only responded with 'But… But', she threw her hands up in the air with a growl and walked out.

I let her go. Well, I didn't LET her. As Rose had made painfully clear, I can't make her do anything one way or another. But I decided it was wise to give her some space to cool down.

"She is one little firecracker, isn't she? I see what you see in her."

He looked after her with a mix of lust and something else. Lust I had seen a million times in his eyes, but this emotion was new, and I didn't like it one bit. I growled a little, making sure he understood I saw him ogling MY girl.

He got up and bid me goodbye.

"She is mine; you know that right, Adrian?"

He simply waved his hand at me and walked away with a smirk on his face as he yelled back.

"You haven't claimed her yet."

After I had calmed down from Adrian's comment I decided to run some errands. Rose wasn't back yet, and I had a feeling she wouldn't be back for a while.

When I had started training Rose, I had commissioned a weapon just for her. We all had weapons with us even if we also liked to rip apart our prey, but fighting Snow Dragons, meant weapons would come in handy. In part, because they had sharper teeth than us and they were stronger, and in part because they didn't carry weapons. Not only did it give us an edge, it also separated us on a different level. We were more sophisticated and less… savage.

But the weapons we carried would be way too heavy for Rose. Some of us joined human armies in times of peace and had human sized weapons, but I would imagine even those were too heavy, so I commissioned a weapon designed specifically to be used at high speed and that matched her fighting style. The weapon was small, the size of a short sword, but sleeker.

I walked the distance toward our blacksmith, and when he saw me coming, his face lit up.

"I have your request General. I don't really know what you need with it, but I will say, I think it is my best work. My most challenging work, but definitely my best."

I smiled as he rummaged through his Dragon sized stuff, trying to find the one small weapon. Once located, he placed it in my human hands with his much larger Dragon claws. The weapon looked almost comical in his claws. Like a toothpick. Even in my hands, the weapon seemed small. But it would be perfect for Rose.

"It isn't for me, blacksmith. I have a hybrid female in my troop, she is small and light, and it reflects in her fighting style. I needed something to match it."

He looked down at the blade and tapped it with his Talon.

"Well, that should be perfect for her. It is light because I used a new material. It is very durable and handles heat very well. It is also stronger than my normal blades, so I could sharpen it to a deadly point. It was nice being able to use this material and make a sword this unique. The material can't be used very well for larger blades. But for this it was perfect."

I touched the tip very gently, but even then it had already broken the skin, and a small drop of blood was escaping my finger. Maybe she wouldn't even have to move past the scales. She could just ram the blade right through. This was the last step in Rose becoming a full fletched warrior of my battalion. I would feel safer if she carried around such a deadly weapon to protect herself.

"I have also taken the liberty of making a sheath. I made a back brace; I didn't think the sword strapped at the hip added to agility or speed so I made sure the sword wouldn't hinder her movements. I also added the steel in the bottom and sides of the sheath. Otherwise, the sword would stab right through."

I took the sheath, and it had indeed been fortified at the base and sides to protect it from the sharp edges.

"Thank you. I appreciate the effort and on such short notice."

His cheerful face became serious.

"It won't be long now, will it?"

I shook my head.

"No."

I looked up at the sky as if I could read the signs in the clouds. Reports from the border had been quiet, too quiet and it wasn't sitting well with me.

"Speaking of which, I took the liberty of designing something for you as well. I noticed you are spending more time as a human, so I made a weapon which can change sizes depending on your current form. It is large and durable in Dragon form, but still manageable in human form."

He hinted that he knew why I was spending more time as a human, by smirking a little my way, but otherwise kept it to himself. I looked at the weapon, which was now at a size manageable for my human size. It would have been too big and heavy for a regular human, but it felt very comfortable in my hands. It was a large broad sword. He also had made me a sheath, and I noticed he had made the blade and the sheath match Rose's.

"Now, tap the bottom."

So I did, and the weapon extended and grew. I could barely hold it up, but I knew it would sit comfortably in my claws in Dragon form.

"How did you do this?"

He shrugged.

"Magic."

I narrowed my eyes at him, and he chuckled. In this place, only one person knew how to perform magic. My grandmother.

"Don't worry, son; I didn't sell my soul. When I told her it was for you, she was only too happy to help."

I smiled. I didn't realize Yeva had been getting soft in her old age. First the payment from Christian, and now this.

"Thank you. I appreciate this."

I left him to his work. It looked like he was very busy. Tatiana had commissioned a check on all military weapons, and he was expanding our stock just to be sure.

Once I came back to our room Rose was there and she was munching on some bread. She seemed to be in a much better mood. She smiled as I came in.

"I have a present for you."

She put down the bread and jumped up towards me. She was holding out her hands with a big smile on her face, waiting, not so patiently, for me to hand her her present.

I placed the sheath containing the sword in her hands.

She looked at the weapon. First, she inspected the sheath, and then she drew the sword. The motion was so natural and fluent; it was like she had always had the blade. The weight was perfect for her. She swiped it through the air a few times and looked at it in wonder.

"A deadly warrior deserves a deadly weapon. You will have no problem severing Dragon spines with this."

She launched herself at me, almost cutting off my ear with her sword as she flung her arms around my neck. She kissed me on my cheek as she pulled back.

"Thank you."

She seemed awfully emotional at receiving a weapon.

"It is just a sword."

She shook her head.

"No, it isn't. You trust me. You understand I am a warrior at heart. You let me be myself. I know that isn't easy."

I pulled her close. No, it wasn't. But I had made the decision to honor her wish to come with me to war. But whether I could treat her like just another soldier, I didn't know. I was afraid that when the time came, I would protect her instead of my army. The thought scared me. But the alternative scared me even more.

"You should bring it the day after tomorrow," I said trying to change the subject back to more pleasant thoughts.

"Why? Isn't that a little dangerous during training? I knew I said I would get Eddie back for that comment, but this really wasn't what I had in mind."

I chuckled. Eddie had called her Rosie and said she hit like a girl. She had defended with that she was a girl and had sworn revenge on him. I half expect her to sneak off tonight and place itching powder under Eddie's scales. I was glad that Rose had made such easy friends with Eddie and Mason. It would make things a lot easier once we went to war, but maybe also a lot harder.

"No, Rose. I have a trip planned for then. I have an old mentor who lives up north. He has trained many young Dragons to control their flame. Christian can teach you much about intensity, but I think Arthur can teach you about control."

"So we are going on a field trip?"

I nodded.

"Just you and me?"

I nodded again.

"Alone?"

"For training", I added as her voice had dropped to a sultry tone along the way.

She was now standing in front of me, her hands on my chest, rubbing circles on it, letting her soft hands caress my skin.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with Adrian looking at me like I am a juicily roasted cow he wanted to devour, now would it?"

"No."

"Or the fact that Mason has been ogling me, and doesn't seem to know you and I are together?"

"No."

Who was I kidding? I certainly wasn't fooling Rose. I had alternate motives for wanting a few days alone with Rose. I had already planned this trip after the cornfield, but I may be a little more eager to go now there were others admiring her. I wasn't too worried about Mason, and by the comments Rose threw Adrian's way, I assumed he was a long way off beating me to the punch. But it had got me thinking. Why hadn't I claimed Rose? Back in the palace I had wanted to. I was already warming up to start it. Maybe that is why I couldn't right now? I had wanted to without discussing it with Rose. I had almost marked her without her consent, simply because I had felt the incredible urge to do so. For the first time in a long time, I understood why my father had claimed my mother, without even asking her first.

I didn't think she would object, but we really needed to have the conversation, because I was dreading the moment, I wouldn't be able to stop myself. But with the war on the horizon, and Rose needing as much training as she could get, the topic really hadn't come up. And maybe it needed to stay that way. I knew losing your mate was excruciating. Maybe if I didn't claim Rose and I do die, it would be easier for her.

"Whatever you say. I don't mind a trip with you. Is it far?"

"About a day's flight."

Her eyes lit up.

"You mean I get to spend a whole day on your back, riding you."

"Flying with me, not riding, remember?"

She smiled.

"Oh, I meant riding."

She wiggled her eyebrows. Oh, she was insatiable. But I must admit, stopping along the way to indulge in a nice session of lovemaking in the wild did greatly appeal to me. I knew the perfect spot along the way; a nice secluded lake. It would be cold, but I could keep her warm. I was a Dragon, after all.


	24. Chapter 24

So I finally submitted my dissertation! :O. It has been a long time coming, but it is finally finished. Maybe now I'll have some more time to write. The last months I think I wrote two paragraphs ( this story is pre-written and already finished, don't worry)

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RPOV

The next morning was back to training. Dimitri was making some preparations for tomorrow, both because we had to take some supplies but also because he would be gone a day or two and had to make sure everything was running smoothly here.

So Eddie, Mason and I were stuck with Christian for the day.

The three of us were standing in the courtyard waiting for Christian. Now, I had a tendency to be late, but Christian wasn't winning any punctuality points either. We were just hanging around. I wonder what was taking him so long. It wasn't like he had anything better to do. Lissa had been gone a few days, and I had noticed Christian training a lot to keep busy and not think about Lissa too much. So I wondered what he was doing now? Maybe he was still in his bed, daydreaming about her?

When the thought entered my head, and the images associated with this 'daydreaming' seeped into my conscious brain, I couldn't help but shriek, and voicing rather loud 'ews.' Eddie and Mason were looking at me like I was crazy.

"I was just wondering why Christian was late. A disturbing thought entered my head."

I saw the boys thinking about it for a second and then their face contorted into a similar grimace as I had when their thoughts went in the same direction as mine.

"Great Rose, now I'll have that image in my head all day."

I laughed. Shared pain was always better.

"Well, we should find Christian and make him pay for making us wait so long."

I saw Mason perk up a bit at the mention of some mischief, but Eddie was much more conservative and kept his ground.

"He is our superior, Rose, we can't do anything about it."

I simply waved my hand.

"I am not officially a part of the military yet, so he isn't my superior. Besides, he is dating my best friend. He needs to keep me in his good graces, or I will badmouth him to Lissa, and I know that she will listen to me - or at least start doubting him - so I have nothing to fear."

Eddie shrugged. I guess he was in. That didn't take much convincing. So much for the good boy.

"So, what do you have in mind?" Mason asked.

I put my finger to my chin and looked at the sky, thinking it over. My pranks in the palace usually weren't that elaborate, and I had contemplated using some itching powder on Eddie for the comment the other day, but I had actually no idea what would work on Dragons. I wondered if putting a Talon in hot water when they slept had a similar effect as it did on humans? But that meant having to wait until he was asleep again. I had also used men's shaving cream in the hand palm in the past, but it was a hassle to make, and I would need a lot for a Dragon. So in the end, I shrugged.

"We need to find him first."

And with that, we left the courtyard in pursuit of Christian.

We crept through the palace. I knew we were supposed to be training, and I also knew a certain General would not be pleased, so we were trying to stay out of sight. I knew approximately where Christian's chambers were, but I didn't know the palace very well, so I was relying on Mason and Eddie, but they seemed as lost as me.

We were at an intersection, looking around the corner. We must have looked comical, because we were just three heads, in perfect stacking order, poking around the corner.

And we must have looked even funnier when we jumped three feet into the air when we heard someone call me from behind us.

"What are you doing, little human?"

I turned around to yell at him. Adrian was in Dragon form. I had mostly seen him in his human form, and even I had to admit he wasn't bad to look at, but he didn't seem to have the same finesse in his Dragon form. Or maybe I just couldn't appreciate it. But then again, Dimitri looked as handsome as a Dragon as he did in his human form.

I hadn't forgotten about what he had said the other day. I don't let anyone dictate my life, and that included him.

"I thought I made it pretty clear that my business is not your concern."

I saw him roll his eyes.

"Yeah, sorry about that.I was just surprised. Now I know, Rose has got some balls."

He leaned down and looked from left to right, checking if no one was walking by.

"But what are you doing, sneaking around this place. Are you in trouble?"

I looked over at Eddie and Mason. Both were just staring at me. For what reason, I had no idea.

"Christian was late for training: we thought we would surprise him."

My tone must have betrayed our true purpose because his eyes narrowed and his mouth turned up into a smirk.

"So any ideas on how to _surprise_ him?" Adrian asked.

I groaned and threw my hands up in the air.

"No, I used to be so good at this. But with Dragons, it is a whole different ballgame, and it is frustrating I can't come up with something good."

He shrugged.

"I usually just spread some rumors about people. Either they are promiscuous or celibate, depending on who I am spreading rumors about. I could start a rumor he has a venereal disease, or I could say he has been sleeping around. I am sure your friend will love that."

I had to smile despite myself.

"You are incorrigible, but Lissa would kill me."

He shrugged and started to walk away, waving a claw in the air.

"Let me know when you change your mind. Christian's room is that way if you were wondering."

I looked over to the direction Adrian was pointing and smiled. I turned back to Eddie and Mason, and they were still in staring mode.

"What?"

"Do you know who he is?"

"Yeah, Adrian the Charming. Although if you ask me, the charming part is highly exaggerated."

"He is also heir to the throne."

"I know."

That got an even larger reaction from Eddie and Mason.

"You know he is one of the most important Dragons, yet you talk to him like that?"

I shrugged.

"He doesn't seem to mind, besides, I am not big on the whole Royal thing, and I am still a little unclear if that means he will be my King someday. I mean are Hybrids considered subjects?"

That almost existential question seemed to have woken the boys from their stupor.

"I am out. I am going back to the field and wait for Christian. Getting caught by my future King is all the excitement I need today."

Eddie walked off, and I turned to Mason, my hands on my hips.

"How about you Red, you chickening out too?"

I saw him contemplating it, but in the end, his mischievous side or the side that wants to spend time with me won out.

"I am in. Any ideas yet?"

"I was thinking a simple prank. I don't want to embarrass him too much. With humans, I would have used some pepper in their pants, or switch their sugar for salt, but I have no idea what works for Dragons."

I saw Mason thinking about it.

"I have some mint stashed away in my room."

I raised an eyebrow, not sure how making him some fresh mint tea would be pranking him.

"We use mint sometimes to coat our throat and diminish our flame. Sometimes after a night of Ale, the alcohol is still in our system, and when we breathe or burp or something, we tend to be a little volatile with our flame. So we use mint to counteract it. But if we slip him something now, it will diminish the intensity of his flame, and when he finally comes to train us, he won't be able to use it very well."

I thought his plan over and smiled. That was perfect, absolutely, perfect. I could already imagine Christian boasting about his awesome flame and only a small bit of smoke coming out.

I told Mason to go and get it and was left standing alone in the hallway just waiting for him to return. In the meanwhile, I had located what was likely to be Christian's room.

When Mason returned he handed me a flask with what I could only assume was mint oil. I took the cap off and smelled it and immediately pulled back. That was strong, very strong.

"How is Christian not going to be able to detect this when we put it into his food or drink? This is strong stuff, he is going to smell it a mile away."

Mason looked confused and pulled the flask towards him. He took a large whiff but didn't seem to have a similar reaction. He tried again, with the same result.

"I don't smell anything. Must be a human thing."

Well, that solved that problem. I thought Dragons were supposed to have a better sense of smell, but I suppose there would be some interspecies differences in what we can detect. Interesting.

"Have you figured out where he is?"

I nodded and pointed towards a corridor which led towards Christian's chambers.

So Mason and I stalked towards the entrance. We were tiptoeing around, and whenever we would look at each other, we would giggle a little.

I was surprised at how easy friendship with Mason came. I liked Eddie too, but with Mason, it felt like I had known him for years. We apparently had the same sense of humor when it came to pranks, and I was glad I didn't have to do it alone but had a partner in crime. Somehow it felt so natural. When I thought back to all the times I had been sneaking around the palace as a child, I now imagined a red-haired boy sneaking with me. Maybe if I had had a lookout back then, I would have been caught less.

I signaled him to stop at the door and wait one second. I looked around one more time, before opening the door and pushing inside.

There he was. Christian was on his bedrock, snoring, very loudly. He had one hand on his belly, and he seemed to be scratching himself in his sleep. I rolled my eyes.

Mason had followed me in and was also looking at the scene.

"What now?" He whispered.

I looked around the room. There was a large pitcher of water on a table off to the side. I suppose that would be my best bet. I walked towards it and uncapped the bottle of mint oil.

"How much?" I mouthed towards Mason.

He squeezed his fingers together indicating a very small amount. I tried to put one drop in, but I tilted the bottle too much, and about half the bottle went in. I saw Mason's eyes bug out of his head.

I walked over to him.

"Will it hurt him, if he takes too much?"

"No, but…"

"Good."

"How are you going to make him drink it?"

I put my finger to my chin and smiled. I walked over to Christian and with my hands on my hips and yelled him awake.

"Rise and shine, Christian the Snarky. We have training to do."

Christian's eyes opened with a startle, and he fell off the rock from shock. I must admit, he did straighten out pretty fast. He cleared his throat and brushed some of the floor's dirt off of his body.

"What are you doing here?"

"You should have been in the courtyard an hour ago. We are all waiting. Here, drink this, wake up and let's go. You might have all the time in the world to dally around, but some of us actually want to train."

I handed him the pitcher of water, and he downed it in one go, then walked past me and speeded to the courtyard. I was behind Christian giving Mason the thumbs up.

We followed him towards the courtyard, and he didn't waste any time with barking his orders at us. I rolled my eyes, but Mason and Eddie were standing to attention.

"Right, I am glad you two came looking for me, I was testing your willingness to train. Rose and Mason, great job being proactive. Eddie, good job following orders and having faith in your superior to show up."

Wow, he was full of crap.

After a warm-up, he instructed us how to use our flame. He mostly just said what we needed to do and let us take it from there. I was disappointed, we needed him to show us how, if I were to see the effects of the mint oil.

"Uhm. Sir? Christian? Would you mind showing us? I personally learn better by example."

I was proud of myself for getting that sentence out with a straight face. I saw Mason, who was behind Christian, trying very hard not to roll around and laugh, his hands covering his mouth.

"Of course, Rose, I am glad you realize I have something valuable to teach you."

He inhaled deeply, and I could see the scales on his chest light up, he was preparing for a show, I could see that. He built up the tension and then released. It was funny, his mouth was open, and he even made a slight roar sound, that was normally not audible over the sound of the blaze. But all that came out after a couple of seconds was a small puff of black smoke.

With a steel face I looked straight at him and in my most neutral voice, I told him.

"That was amazing, Sir."

Mason lost it after that, and I joined him. We were rolling around on the ground laughing and crying. Tears were flowing down our faces, we were laughing so hard.

Christian was becoming furious. Now, normally a Dragon would maybe release some smoke from his nostrils when angry. I had seen it a few times with Dimitri, but Christian couldn't even muster up that, which only made us laugh harder. I was starting to scream because my stomach muscles were cramping up and the sound was rather comical when mixed with my laughter.

After much glaring from Christian and more laughing from us, we eventually calmed down and so did Christian. I wouldn't say we did much training that day, but we at least got a few tips on how to use a small flame to your advantage. I was getting a little concerned I might have overdone it with the mint oil, but I could see he was able to muster up a small flame at the end of the day, so I knew the effect was wearing off. Mason had told me, he would be at full capacity in a day or two. I was glad I was away with Dimitri.

Christian left quickly still trying to kick-start his flame as he walked away.

This sent Mason and me into a frenzy again. Eddie was hovering nearby, staring at us.

"What did you do to him?"

Between bouts of laughter, I managed to say something in the line of mint oil. I was actually amazed Eddie had understood me. I don't think I was being very articulate.

"Who's idea was that?"

Mason and I looked at each other a grin on both our faces.

"It was a team effort," Mason said and raised his hand to high five me.

I clapped it enthusiastically, and we both went into another fit of laughter.

Eddie walked away, supposedly mad, but I could tell he found our antics amusing.

"You two deserve each other."

I know Eddie hadn't meant anything by it, but I saw a definite hope in Mason's eyes. I looked away, instead choosing to stare at the sky.

"That was epic," Mason said after a moment of awkward silence.

"Now, I could like that nickname. Rose, the Epic. It does have a nice ring to it."

Mason laughed.

"No Dragon is ever going to give you that nickname."

"Why not?"

He shrugged.

"Dragons are too arrogant; they won't give such a strong nickname to someone. Although I wouldn't mind being called Mason the Epic, or Mason the Awesome, or Mason the Brave, something like that. What about you?"

I thought about it for a while. Getting a nickname was more about how other people viewed you and it doesn't always have to be your best feature. But mostly it was an accurate description.

"Maybe Rose the Reckless, Rose the Rebellious, or Rose the Passionate. But I am still shooting for Rose the Epic. What about you, now that Epic is obviously taken?"

I saw Mason look contemplative.

"I just want to be remembered. I want to contribute something. I want people to know that I have dedicated my life to fighting for my Queen and country."

It was funny, we were so similar in some ways, and yet so different in others. I wasn't afraid to go to war, and neither was Mason, but Mason wanted to go to prove himself. He wanted to go out of loyalty perhaps. I needed to go to protect the people I love, not just by stopping the Snow Dragons, but by learning how to control myself. But I did hope he would find what he was looking for. I suppose Mason the Loyal would be a good nickname, much better than Snarky.

"This was fun Red, I needed this."

"Anytime Rose, Eddie can be a bit of a stiff when it comes to these things, I have missed a partner in crime."

"Anytime Red, anytime."

We finally got up, having to get back to reality.

"Training again tomorrow?" He asked.

"Sorry, Dimitri is taking me to Arthur. He said he might be able to give me some guidance Christian can't, and from what I have seen from today, that is pretty accurate."

We both laughed as we parted, and I tried very hard to just see his smile and not the jealous look in his eyes.


	25. Chapter 25

DPOV

I was bored out of my mind. This is what I was missing training for? This is what I was leaving Rose with Mason for? Our highest political Dragons were sitting around debating. For about four hours now, and they were getting nowhere.

Adrian was next to me and obviously wasn't hiding his boredom or his frustrations as well as me. He was groaning and moaning through the entire meeting.

I knew why. Not only was it boring, but one of those Dragons was his father. Nathan.

Nathan was everything Adrian wasn't. He was rigid, self-centered and thought he was the most important Dragon around, next to Tatiana because he was in her bloodline. When my father went off the deep end, he was the only one smiling because he knew his brothers descend into alcoholism meant he was one step closer to the throne. He was furious when Tatiana made it clear she intended to have Adrian succeed her. Now Nathan had never been a warm, loving father, but after that, you could see that any love for his son was overshadowed by resentment and jealousy. And he took every opportunity to remind his son of what he had lost.

Adrian leaned over and started to whisper to me.

"So you know where your girlfriend has been sneaking off to today?"

I turned to him trying keeping my movement to a minimum as not to alert the others present.

"When did you see her, and is she even speaking to you?"

A sly smile crept on his face.

"Of course she is speaking to me, nobody can stay mad at me for long. Besides, who knows, we might have been seeing each other behind your back."

I produced a sound that was somewhere between a possessive growl and a laugh at his suggestion.

"No really, when did you see her."

Adrian didn't seem pleased that he wasn't able to ruffle my scales, but as much as I recognize that Adrian can indeed be charming and that many females fall at his feet, I trust Rose. Besides her clear disdain for his inconsiderate comments didn't win him any points. I think I was safe from Rose starting something with Adrian behind my back. I think Adrian knew it too, but that didn't mean he wasn't trying to win her over, or try and psych me out.

"I saw her in the hallway, with those junior recruits of yours. They were all human and stalking through the corridor. I think they were trying to prank Christian. Apparently, he had overslept, and they didn't take that lightly.

I stifled a groan. I should have known better than to leave Rose with just Eddie and Mason. She could rally the Pope to skip church if she wanted too. I also knew even though she had a weird respect for Christian, his Snarky demeanor and his new relationship with Lissa was making the interaction between those two tense.

"What did they do?"

Adrian shrugged.

"I think after seeing me bust them, the gold one left, so whatever they did it was just the Red and Rose, and I have no idea, she was still working out the details herself when I left them."

Good, maybe she had reconsidered and simply returned to the training field. Who am I kidding? Of course she didn't, but the meeting hadn't been interrupted because of an emergency, so I suppose it was all fine.

Although maybe getting interrupted would be a good thing. I would die of old age before these Dragons would be able to make a decision.

Adrian tuned back into the conversation, and I saw him swipe his claw over his snout in exasperation. After that, he composed himself, got up with a dramatic flair characteristic for Adrian before he addressed the crowd. Because unlike with Nathan, if the heir to the throne wants to speak, you listen.

"That is enough. At this point, it doesn't matter what we do, as long as we do something. Not making a decision is sometimes worse than making the wrong decision. So could we work up some common ground and see how we will distribute resources in case of an evacuation of the northern borders?"

Many of the old Dragons grumbled and none louder than Nathan. I could tell he was about to let loose a tirade to reestablish his dominance over his son, but one look from Tatiana silenced him. Tatiana nodded towards Adrian, grateful and proud of his intervention. I think after years of dealing with these relics had made her numb for these meetings.

No one said anything or argued with him, which was progress over the last few hours, and they finally came to a very carefully constructed and debated compromise - although Nathan had made sure that he had his say in the particulars.

I thought that Tatiana's decision to skip Nathan and make Adrian heir was probably the best decision of her reign. Not only because I disliked Nathan, and having him as a King would be disastrous to anyone not Royal, but also because I think Tatiana realized it was time for some young blood and changes, and she knew she wasn't the person to implement that and Nathan wasn't either.

Sometimes I forget that behind my annoying and flippant cousin lies a true ruler. Yes, he has much to learn, but I knew that when the time came for him to take the throne, he would be fine. Because if you can get these old geezers in line, you can do anything.

Of course, when they had eventually agreed on one thing, they started to argue even more fiercely on another point. Adrian threw his hands up in the air, obviously giving up and sitting back down next to me.

"When I am King, the first thing I do is fire the entire council. I will enjoy that very much, particularly my father."

He said it under his breath, but I could clearly hear him.

After another excruciating three hours, the meeting was finally done, and Adrian and I didn't know how fast we should get out of there. Although Nathan was faster and stopped Adrian in his track.

"One day, boy, you will learn that not everything can be so easily solved with your idealism. You have much to learn about the real world. Of course, the only real-world experience you have is of ale and women."

He walked away, but said 'I will never understand why Tatiana insists on destroying our world by appointing you,' supposedly under his breath but we could both hear him.

Adrian had walked out of that meeting room with elevated shoulders, proud of himself to have accomplished something, but now he was hunched over, all confidence that he had accumulated squashed. I knew Adrian worried about him being King. After years of being talked down upon by his father, he had started to believe him. But Adrian never talked about his feelings; he laughed them away or drank them away. I preferred the first, and as luck would have it, he chose the first option now.

"So I hear you are taking Rose on a romantic getaway tomorrow. Feeling the heat from me, are you?"

I rolled my eyes.

"I am not taking her on her a romantic getaway. I am taking her to Arthur. There are things he can teach her that I can't."

Adrian was laughing very hard, and I didn't know why until he wiggled his eyebrows. I groaned, realizing what I said.

"That is not what I meant, and you know it. I meant in terms of controlling her flame. We are perfectly fine in other departments."

"Riiiight," he said dragging out the I and obviously not believing me.

I simply scowled at him. But I couldn't help the tiny but in insecurity leaking in. I mean I knew I was satisfying her in that department, or at least I think I was, but I was also conscious of the fact that Adrian, despite being younger, had a lot more experience. But I guess, in this case, it definitely was quality over quantity. And I never had any complaints.

I was about to rip Adrian a new one when Christian walk passed us. He didn't seem to have noticed us at all. He was covering his snout with his claws, and I think I saw him making small flames and puffs of smoke in his claws. But otherwise, he seemed physically fine, so I was going back to my naïve idea that Rose and Mason had aborted their operation.

"Christian, wait up!"

Christian turned around and seemed surprised to see us. He really hadn't noticed us. Then his eyes narrowed at me, and I knew Rose had carried through.

"What did she do?" I tried very hard not to let the exasperation show on my face, but I think I failed horribly.

Christian seemed a little surprised that I seemed to have guessed the nature of his foul stare.

"She put mint oil in my water, and by the looks of it a lot too. I haven't been able to produce a decent flame all day. This morning I wasn't able to produce fire at all, at least now it isn't all smoke, but I swear if I am not back to normal by tomorrow, I am going to kill your girlfriend and the recruit."

I suppose I was glad Rose and I would be leaving early in the morning then. But I must admit, putting mint oil in his water was perfect. No real damage or lasting effects but a huge humiliation for someone who prides himself on his flame. I was glad for my years of training in the military where I had perfected an unmoving mask, because I doubt Christian would have appreciated my burst of laughter.

Adrian, on the other hand, was laughing so hard I saw tears rolling down his snout.

"She is a genius. Mint oil, so simple yet so elegant."

I was actually surprised Rose knew about mint oil. It was a specific Dragon trait, but I smelled Mason's hand in this.

"Yeah, well, I know she is your girlfriend Dimitri, and I should make an effort for Lissa, but I will not tolerate this kind of behavior."

He was taking this way too seriously. Besides, Christian and Rose both had no rank in the military, so even though people in my squad viewed Christian as a seasoned warrior, he had no actual authority.

"Why did she have the opportunity to prank you anyway? I imagine you were ready and set up at the field even before they arrived?" I said to Christian, knowing full well he had overslept and that that had prompted Rose and Mason to act. Not that it justified their actions, but Christian wasn't completely innocent here.

I saw him visibly pale.

"Well… uhm… you see." He took one big breath. "I overslept, okay."

I placed my claw on his shoulder.

"Just don't let it happen again… or the next time Rose retaliates, you might lose your flame for good."

He just groaned.

"Come on," Adrian said. "I know the perfect cure for mint oil."

Christian looked up at Adrian with the biggest sparkle of hope in his eyes. Those two never really get along, but if Adrian could cure this, he would be eternally grateful.

"What?"

Although Adrian's large smirk, showing his fangs, wasn't very encouraging.

"Ale, Christian. Lots and lots of Ale."

Well, I suppose that would work. If mint oil was a cure for Ale induced hyper-flame, Ale could be the cure for mint–oil induced hypo-flame.

Christian slapped himself in his snout for not realizing that earlier.

"Well lead the way, I am sure you know where we can get the best Ale."

"Well I am not sure about the best Ale, but certainly the Ale with the highest Alcohol percentage."

"Works for me."

I followed Christian and Adrian to Adrian's chambers. I shouldn't have been surprised that the thing that eventually brought those two closer together was booze.

Christian downed the first cup in one go, impressing even Adrian. He tested his flame, and I could see a bit of an improvement, but Christian wasn't satisfied.

"Another."

"Now we are talking." Adrian pored him another cup. "You too, cousin."

"My flame doesn't need boosting."

Adrian crossed his eyes. Clearly, that wasn't his intention for me.

"Oh don't be a party pooper, Dimitri. Just have a drink. Or can't you hold your liquor?"

I growled. I was a large Dragon, I could hold my liquor. But I was more pissed that Adrian actually managed to sway me to take a cup.

I let the liquid burn my throat and fan my fire. I must admit, I did like the feeling, which is exactly why I rarely touched the stuff.

Although I knew one cup didn't make me an overindulging asshole like my father, I was very conscious of the fact that this liquid exacerbated his behavior. So although I would sometimes take a cup or two, I had never been drunk in my life and was determined to keep it that way.

Furthermore, I think after that comment from his father, I needed to keep an eye on Adrian and make sure he was coherent enough to make decisions tomorrow. But the fact he was already on his fourth cup wasn't helping matters.

Three cups in, Christian tested his flame again, and he seemed back to normal. Although he couldn't test his full flame indoors, Christian seemed satisfied and put down the cup.

"What? Both of you stopping already? And here I thought we were having a party."

Christian looked over to me, seeing if I had noticed the slurring in Adrian's voice too. I nodded slightly and mouthed the word 'Nathan' to him. He closed his eyes for a moment. Christian and Adrian didn't have much in common, but a bad relationship with their father was one of them. It was something that bonded us all. But in contrast to Christian or me, Adrian's father was still prominent in his life.

"Do you think he is right?" Adrian's voice was sounding surprisingly sober now. And as if realizing this too, he took another cup and downed it in one go, hoping to make his previous statement and his father's words disappear.

"No, Adrian, I don't think he is right. Wondering if you will make a good ruler is natural. As a matter of fact, it is what will make you a good ruler."

He looked up at my words and his eyes betrayed only pain. My words weren't sinking in.

"It should have been you. You would do a much better job than me. I just don't understand how you can sit there and let me take your birthright and screw it up too."

I was a little taken aback. Adrian and I never discussed my family's fall from grace. I never knew he felt guilty about it. But it was clear on his face now. He didn't think he deserved his title, and felt guilty about the way he had gotten it. I thought long and hard about my words. I needed him to understand that he didn't take anything from me.

"Listen, Adrian. I don't want to the throne. I never have, and I think Tatiana made the correct decision in appointing you. I will help you any way I can, but my place is in the military, you know that."

He stood up and spilled a bit of his Ale, but didn't seem to notice. He threw his claws up in the air and let out an exasperated breath.

"What about your sister. She is kind and compassionate and everything a good ruler should be. I took that away from her too. Can you honestly say I would be a better ruler than Karolina?"

I stood up, took the cup from his hand and squared his shoulders towards me. My claws were on his shoulders, keeping his body and face looking at me.

"Yes, I do. Because you have something neither Karolina nor I have. You have such an insight into people, you know everyone, and how to handle them, whether it is using your charm or showing them your authority. You know what they need to be convinced. You almost seem to know what they are thinking. You understand your people and know what they need because you listen. Everything else can be thought, or we can help with. But that is something that will make you a great King, Adrian the Charming. Your heart is what people will follow you for."

Adrian's eyes were tearing up, and I could literally see him getting taller. I hope I was getting through. To be a good ruler, Adrian needed to believe he could be one. We wouldn't be getting anywhere if Adrian was deep in the alcohol every time his father made a snide comment.

"What about my father? He is never going to stop," Adrian downcast his eyes, and I could see the insecurity returning to him. It was like a physical thing, infecting him time and time again.

I picked up a cup and poured myself some ale. I did likewise for Adrian and Christian.

I raised my cup, choosing my next words very carefully. They would determine if Adrian would always be looking for his father's approval and never receiving it, or if he would finally be his own person.

"Fuck Nathan."

Christian joined me in raising my cup. "Yeah, fuck Nathan."

A small smile made its way on Adrian's face as he joined his hand with ours and lifted his cup. He seemed a little shocked I would use those words, but right now that is exactly what he had needed.

"Fuck my father," Adrian said it with so much conviction that I believed that he was letting this go.

I knew Adrian would need people around him that he could trust unconditionally and I hoped that once he was King, he would still be able to turn to me for help, maybe even Christian. I knew this point in time would be significant. Because I saw that Adrian wasn't slouching anymore, he wasn't looking for approval from any of us, and he wasn't reaching for the Ale again.

I think today he made the first step in not only being an heir to a hypothetical throne, somewhere in the future. Today he had become a little bit King. And I had a feeling that he would need that a lot sooner than we all realized.


	26. Chapter 26

RPOV

We left early that morning. He said it would take most of the day, and that we should arrive in the late afternoon. But he also calculated a bit of extra time for some of that 'riding' I imagined.

I swear I never knew sex would be this good. I had heard rather disappointing stories from the other handmaidens, but clearly, they had never been with Dimitri. Or was it the fact he was a Dragon that made it that much more intense? I suppose the fact he could go more often and last longer was a general Dragon trait, and if I should believe Adrian, all Dragons were able to 'satisfy a woman thoroughly and often.' But I do think that what made it so special with Dimitri was the fact he was Dimitri and not a Dragon.

We saw the sunset come over the horizon as we flew alongside it. I felt the first rays of the sun hit my skin and a warm feeling washed over me.

"Do you feel that too?"

I wasn't very specific, but I knew Dimitri would understand. Apparently, it was a Dragon thing. Because the sun was the purest form of fire, we felt connected to it. I had always liked the sun, but I realized how intimately our souls were connected to the sun now that the spell had been broken. There were many things I feared now that the binding spell was gone, but I was grateful for every feeling I had missed out on over these last eighteen years. Even if I did end up blowing up, at least I had experienced being me - the true me.

"I always love this time of day. It feels like I had been starving and suddenly I am full again."

I hmphed my agreement as I leaned back on his back spread my arms, taking in every ray of sun I could.

The landscape was changing here. The lush green and great expanse making way for more rocky hills, interspersed with a different kind of trees. I had never been this far away from home, and I was looking around with wonder. It seemed the further we went, the barer the land got, but it was still beautiful. There was something commendable about the people and animals that lived in these environments. I looked at them with respect for even surviving here. Back home we had droughts sometimes that would leave us with little food, but we always had enough in reserve to survive. And the rain would come soon enough to replenish the land.

But here I could only see a few patches of green amongst the rocks. I could see mountains in the distance with snowy tops, but still rocky and slightly green bodies. In the far North, I saw mountains completely covered in snow. When I looked towards those, I knew that was Snow Dragon territory. How I knew this, I couldn't tell. But here, even if the land was harsh, it still breathed life. The mountains to the North felt dead. And as if the sky agreed with me, it had accumulated dark clouds over the top of the mountains whereas here we were enjoying the sun without interference from clouds.

I felt Dimitri's body stiffen as he looked over towards the mountains in the North, and I knew I had been right. I hoped we wouldn't have to go that far to meet with Arthur. The mountains looked very close by, even though I knew they were probably still a few days flight away. But I could already feel their suffocating effects even here.

At midday, Dimitri stopped at a lake. The place was beautiful. It was surrounded by mountains and hills on all sides, so it was very secluded. Almost like a little secret for those that could observe it from the skies. The lake was crystal clear and reflected the blue skies above. The ground surrounding the lake was green with grass and flowers taking nutrients from the lake. It seemed like a little oasis, in these rough lands, and it made me forget the cold air coming from the North.

Dimitri landed beside the lake and transformed into his human form. He put on some clothes, much to my disappointment, but to make up for it, he took out the food we brought. He laid out a nice platter of food on top of a quilt. He had even brought something for us to sit and lay upon.

I looked at the cloudless sky and took a deep breath. This place seemed to make time stop. It was like it suspended us at this point in time, simply to prevent us from moving on to the next moment. And I had a feeling when we would leave here, I really wish time had stopped at this point.

I wanted to take advantage of what this place was giving us. I would enjoy this moment and all it had to give. And I was well aware that what it had to give was Dimitri.

I ate first because I was starving and as much as I wanted Dimitri, he didn't top food. Well, not at the moment anyway. He was stroking my thigh and lifting my dress up higher and higher, he nuzzled my neck and started to whisper sweet nothings in my ear, but I was pretty much unresponsive as I was munching on an incredibly seasoned chicken leg. I moaned as I took another bite, but Dimitri quickly learned it wasn't his action, but the juicy meat that elicited that response from me.

He chuckled, but admitted defeat, grabbing a leg himself and starting to rip the meat.

I turned to him and smiled, my face covered with seasoning and pieces of chicken.

He outright laughed as he wiped my mouth clean with his thumb. He then licked his finger clean. That was the single most sexy thing I had ever seen. And I should have known it would appeal to me. Dimitri mixed with food, now who could resist that?

I didn't hesitate as I pushed Dimitri on his back and straddled him. I threw away the leg bone that I had devoured cleanly and grabbed the rest of the food. Fruit and bread and a tiny piece of meat left. I handed Dimitri a piece of bread.

"Eat it."

My voice was eager and demanding. He simply shrugged and broke a piece of breath off with his teeth. The way he savagely ripped the bread apart made me moan. He looked over to me confused.

"Now the fruit."

He took a piece of fruit and bit into it. The juice dripping down his chin and neck onto his torso. I followed the trail and bent forward. I lapped it up with my tongue, first his chin, then his neck and then the upper part of his chest.

"Roza."

I gave him another piece of fruit, but instead of giving it with my hands, I put the piece of fruit in between my teeth and bent down for him to take it. He bit half of it off and left the other half for me to eat. He swallowed quickly so he could kiss away the juice on my lips. He seemed to have changed his mind about sharing the piece of fruit with me, because he was forcing his tongue inside my mouth, in what I could only assume was an attempt to retrieve the piece of fruit. But his tongue found only mine, since I had already eaten my piece of fruit.

"Delicious. You taste delicious."

I giggled. I am sure he was tasting the fruit.

He was tracing his tongue on the side of my face, down to my neck and into my cleavage following a drop that had escaped my mouth, similar to what I had done to him. But where I had stopped at the top of his shirt, he undid the laces of my dress and went further down until he found my breast.

He flipped me, so I was beneath him and started to take the dress off. Pushing it over my shoulders, down my hips with a little help from me and down my legs until it was discarded to the side.

He took in my naked form, and I saw him licking his lips. He picked up another piece of fruit and placed it just below my belly button. He started at my breasts and licked down toward the piece of fruit. Once he reached it, he chewed on the fruit, letting the cold juices flow onto my skin and move down between my legs. He followed the trail all the way down.

I gasped when his tongue entered me. I don't think any juice would have gotten in there.

He circled my clit a few times, licking and sucking gently. He also explored my folds with his tongue and occasionally ventured inside. But the overall tone was to tease, not to pleasure.

But I was having none of that. He wasn't in control this time. He was still fully clothed. I sat up in front of him and started to take off his shirt. It was thrown somewhere in the general direction of my dress. Then I moved on to his pants. The sizable bulge was clearly visible, and I took advantage of that as I rubbed him through his pants as I was taking them off. His only answer was a hiss.

Once he was naked too, I climbed on top of him. He was seated with his legs in front of him, and I was straddling him.

I hovered above him and guided him inside. Slowly but surely I let myself down on him. I noticed he was having a hard time not bucking up, but he seemed to appreciate it was my game to play. After all, I did promise to ride him, and that was exactly what I intended to do.

Once he was completely sheathed inside of me, I moved up and down and back and forth, trying to find the correct movement and rhythm. I settled on a direction which seemed to elicit moans from Dimitri and was very stimulating for me and started to pick up the pace. I grabbed his shoulders for support so I had a leverage point, and Dimitri assisted me by supporting my ass and helping me distribute my weight as I moved up and down. I could feel the occasional thrust from Dimitri but other than that he simply let me do whatever I wanted to him.

He was groaning and hissing and buried his face in my hair, so I knew he was close. I leaned back a little, so I could move one hand between us and I circled my clit vigorously helping me build me to my peak. I felt Dimitri pull me down on his cock as he bucked up and emptied his load inside of me. It only took a few more rubs and I joined him, my walls milking the last drops of semen from his semi-hard cock.

I fell forward against him in exhaustion, and he caught me easily, embracing me in his big warm arms. We stayed like that for a while. Him simply stroking and caressing my back as I played with the tips of his hair behind his back.

Neither of us wanted to move. There was this big sign in the air, saying this was as good as it was going to get. But eventually, we had to move. I was starting to get a little cold.

I released him from me and felt a trickle of semen down my leg. He too was covered in our juices. We quickly washed ourselves at the side of the lake. It was way too cold to take a dive, but we could heat up the water enough so I could at least wash.

After I was fully clothed again, and Dimitri had transformed back for the trip, we sat there a little while longer, both postponing the inevitable.

"So how do you know Arthur?"

I felt Dimitri's lips pull back in a smile behind me. I was nestled in front of him, between his paws and under his chin against his chest.

"Arthur was a General like me. He is retired now, but he was the only one who always judged me on my character and not any other circumstances. I was the youngest General in Tatiana's army, and others didn't think I had earned it. Arthur knew different and always defended me and helped me where he could. Now my name is established, and Tatiana relies on me more than any other General, but it hadn't always been the case, and back then I was grateful to call him friend and mentor."

"He sounds nice."

"He is. He understands soldiers need discipline, but he also knows they need guidance and occasionally a little fun. He was gentle but could be deadly when he needed to be."

"He already reminds me a little of you."

He nuzzled his snout against my neck.

"That is a large compliment indeed. You'll see when you meet him."

After lunch, we packed our stuff up and flew on the last few hours to Arthur's place. The further we got the more I felt the chill in my bones, but the mountains were as far away from us as they had been a minute ago. Still, the feel of death had made it to these parts. I couldn't explain why. The trees were as tall as before and the patches of grass between the rocky surface just as green. But here it was eerily silent.

I could tell Dimitri felt it too and I pressed myself closer to him. I didn't know if I was trying to console him or take comfort in his presence, but I hoped it would accomplish both.

His wings seemed unsure if they wanted to continue, but they pushed on until we landed in front of a cave.

It didn't look like much, but I knew that the inside of the cave could look very different. Dimitri's cave didn't look like much from the outside, but inside it was wonderful and large.

"Rose, why don't you stay here, I'll go check it out?"

I didn't want to be left alone out here, with not a soul around, but Dimitri was in General mode right now, and I had no choice but to obey.

He moved very stealthily inside the cave. I was surprised such a large creature could make so little sound. He was almost soundless as he entered the cave. I saw him disappear into the darkness and felt terribly alone all of a sudden.

To keep my mind busy, I started to walk around the entrance of the cave. That turned out to be a bad idea. Because even in the fading light of the day, I could see the trail of blood exiting the cave. Whoever had walked out of the cave, they had blood on their hands, or paws, or claws.

I unsheathed the blade from my back and pointed it in front of me, ready to attack anyone. I tried to mimic Dimitri's stealth to not alert anyone to my presence.

Once I walked into the cave, I smelled an overwhelming odor of iron and salt. I recognized it immediately as blood.

I walked towards the light, assuming it was Dimitri who would have lit one of the torches. If it wasn't, I might be in big trouble.

The light became brighter the closer I got, and I moved as quietly towards it as I could. When I entered the large room where the torch was lit, I gasped. I had half a mind to extinguish the torch to obscure the sight before me. As if the fact I couldn't see it, made it untrue.

"Roza?"

I jumped two feet in the air with a loud screech. So much for stealth.

"I thought you would stay outside."

"I saw a trail of blood leading into the cave."

"So you decided to follow it? What if the people that did this were still here?"

I looked at the scene before me. The paleness of the bodies before me, and the smell coming from them, indicated they had been dead for a while. It was hard to count how many bodies there were. There really wasn't a body that seemed to be whole. They were ripped apart. It was hard to figure out where one Dragon began and the other ended. There was blood all over the walls and floor. Some simply flooded out of them, but some of it was splashed on the walls, showing the kind of violence that had caused the blood to be outside of its host.

"This wasn't done by people. This was done by monsters."

Dimitri looked at me but didn't argue.

He sat on his haunches next to a body. This Dragon's face was still somewhat intact. His lifeless eyes were looking right up at me, but they stopped seeing anything a while ago. Dimitri placed his claws over his eyes and closed them. He let his claws linger for a while on the man, and I assumed this was Arthur. Arthur and his family had lived here.

"This is what they are capable of, isn't it? This was done by Snow Dragons."

He nodded. He took a deep breath and when he stood up, he was in full General mode. And I knew I would have to get into soldier mode. Because this was it. There couldn't be a clearer declaration of war.

"This changes everything, doesn't it?"

"Yes."

"So, what now?"

He looked back to the bodies.

"Now, we burn them and prepare for war."

He moved me out of the cave. Once we were clear of it and he had moved me to a safe distance, he took a deep breath and let his flame consume everything that was in that cave. I suppose Dragons were only fireproof in life. Now that their internal flame was extinguished, it no longer protected them.

I stood beside Dimitri as we watched the cave burn. I was cold and was rubbing my hands up and down my arms. It was strange, there was obviously heat coming from the entrance of the cave, but the heat did nothing to chase away the cold that had settled in my bones.

"Come on Roza, we need to go, they may be watching, and we need to inform the others."

I still had my blade clutched in my hand. I simply couldn't remember how to let it go and put it back in my sheath on my back. It seemed my body had completely forgotten how to function. I felt as dead as the bodies currently burning in those caves.

Dimitri seemed to notice my lack of action and transformed to his human form. He must be cold being completely naked, but I think the shiver running down his body had a completely different cause.

He lifted my chin towards him with one hand, while he grabbed my blade out of my hand with the other.

"It's okay Roza. It is going to be okay."

I looked up at him and felt myself come to life again. I felt my flame heat up inside of me, reminding me I was very different from the bodies in those caves.

"Yes, it will be," I said as I pulled out of his grasp, took the sword from him and put it back in its sheath. I let my own flame have free will. It seemed to perfectly reflect my inner state at the moment, as it danced angrily across my skin.

"Because I will make them pay for this."


	27. Chapter 27

DPOV

We flew back in silence. I had taken a leisurely pace while flying towards Arthur's cave but was hurrying home, flying as fast as I could and still maintaining that pace for the entire ride.

But nonetheless we flew in darkness for the most part, and arrived in the dead of night. I hadn't even brought up the fact we could have stopped and made camp. It hadn't crossed my mind, and I don't think it did for Rose either. I think both of us just wanted to get home, hoping the familiarity and warmth of my chambers would chase away this cold and depressing feeling. But I knew it was impossible because every time I closed my eyes, I saw Arthurs lifeless ones stare up at me.

I walked Rose to my chambers.

"Why don't you try and get some sleep. I have things I need to take care off."

"In the middle of the night?"

I nodded. Rose's face fell. She knew that if I had to wake Tatiana in the middle of the night, it was serious. I had figured she would want to stay with me, but she was dead on her feet. Honestly, so was I. I was the one doing the flying after all. But in the end, Rose chose the bed instead of arguing with me or trying to go with me. Not just because she was tired, but because she understood; this might be the last quiet night of sleep in a long time.

She settled in quickly - she was asleep in seconds. I stayed behind for one more moment, gazing down at her. She looked so innocent when she was asleep. But tonight was a harsh reminder of reality. Since Rose had met me, she had seen more death than she had in her entire life. She had caused death, seen death and now charged herself with avenging death. I admired the strong warrior she had become but regretted the loss of her innocence.

I brushed her hair away from her face with my claw and put it behind her ear before I walked out of my chambers towards Tatiana's private rooms.

Once I got there, the guards stationed at the door stiffened, but didn't stop me. They knew that if I willingly came to her chambers, in the dead of night, something must be wrong, very wrong.

Once I stepped inside, I moved over to her bed and nudged her awake. She growled and nearly dropped off her rock, but once she saw me and the look on my face, she woke up quickly and she went from sleepy to regal in a second. She really did live up to her name.

"It's time?"

I simply nodded. Neither one of us needed words, we both knew it had been coming. We'd just hoped we had more time. But time had run out.

"I'll give the order. Get some sleep, looks like you could use it."

I left her room as she gathered some messengers to get things moving. I set some things in motion myself too, but we wouldn't be able to do much until first light. So after I had done all I could, I joined Rose in bed. I transformed into human and snuggled against her. I wrapped my arms around her, and she wiggled herself against me even if she was fast asleep. I fell asleep hoping in the morning our futures wouldn't look so bleak and violent.

I hadn't slept well, but at least I had slept some. I knew it would only get worse as the war progressed, but luckily I didn't need much sleep and could handle sleep deprivation very well. Rose, on the other hand, would have a hard time if her current condition was any indication. I had tried to nudge her awake a few times, but she just snuggled deeper into my chest and sighed deeply before returning to a semi-unconscious state.

After a few tries, I was finally able to get a response. She opened her eyes, blinking a few times and rubbing her eyes. She yawned and stretched her arms. She looked over at me and smiled. Then her face fell as she remembered why I was waking her up.

I wish I could have let her stay in that blissful moment, just as she were waking up. That moment where she could still believe her dreams were reality, and all the troubles of the world hadn't reached her conscious mind yet. But they were back now.

"We need to get up," I said apologetically.

"What is going to happen now?" Rose asked as she got out of bed and started to dress. Once she had her undergarments on, and binds around her chest, I handed her some clothes I had also commissioned along with her sword.

Dragons didn't wear armor or colors. We had our scales to protect us, and although we were proud to serve our queen, most Dragons were too arrogant to actually wear any colors. Something about not belonging to anybody. When we would fight in human wars, we would occasionally wear colors, but it could be the colors of one opponent one day and the colors of the enemy the next.

So I had some sturdy battle clothes made for Rose, with a Dragon emblem on them. Nothing fancy, but it would protect her from some of the damage at least.

"We rally the troops. There are some general things I will have to do, but I will leave you with Christian, Eddie, and Mason. Christian will prepare our squad, while I am occupied elsewhere. By my calculation, we will leave for the Northern Mountains around midday. We will fly as far as we can before we make camp. The army is divided into different battalions, divisions, and squads. I need to give orders to some other squads within my battalions, but after that we will work mostly independently."

"So you'll be with me in the squad most of the time?"

I smiled as I gently touched her face. Maybe I should have discussed this with her before. I could tell she had been worried. I knew she got along fine with Eddie and Mason and tolerated Christian, but I knew she would prefer to be around me. And of course, I would be.

"All the time, except this morning. After we are deployed, I will communicate with other divisions through messengers and scouts, but we will each focus on our own squads."

The news of Arthur's death and the coming war had spread fast, and I saw many people walk petrified through the corridor as Rose and I made our way through. I had a meeting with Tatiana and the other Generals in half an hour, but that gave me just enough time to say goodbye to my mother, grandmother, and sisters.

The moment I walked into the chambers, my mother hugged me. I saw she was in human form, no doubt expecting Rose and me. After she had hugged me, she moved on to Rose, who was very startled. I didn't even tell her she would be meeting my mother and sisters. She'd already met Yeva, so she had already been through the worst. I didn't think meeting the rest of the family would be such a big deal. Besides, we hardly had time for pleasantries.

"It is good to meet you, Rose. Maybe after all this nasty business is done, we can have a proper introduction."

My mother meant it very nicely, but I could tell by Rose's face, she was already dreading the proper introduction. Karolina also hugged Rose and me.

"Thank you for treating my wounds, earlier. I mean this is the right sister this time, or do you have any more?"

I laughed. Sonya was standing next to Karolina, and she was the last sister I had. Viktoria had already gone with Lissa.

Karolina smiled indulgently too, acknowledging Rose's gratitude for treating the whip wounds. Sonya just rolled her eyes.

"Do you have a little time?" my mother asked expectantly.

"Of course not."

My grandmother waggled into the room, and she too was in her human form. I just stared at her. I don't think I had ever seen her in her human form. I was actually surprised she had clothes that fit her. But I smiled. It was a clear sign of respect towards Rose, and from Yeva, that was very high praise.

Babushka seemed to notice my proud face at her acceptance and she whacked me.

"You can drop the smug look. You didn't do anything."

I rubbed the spot on my arm but didn't stop smiling.

I sat down with Rose next to me, a little uncomfortable. Usually meeting the in-laws is quite the rite of passage, but now it was shadowed by the fact we were here to say goodbye.

"I am sorry to hear about Arthur. He was a good man," my mother said and all of us nodded in agreement. Everyone, bar Rose, had met Arthur and dealt with him in one way or another. We all agreed he had been a good Dragon to have around. He would be dearly missed.

It was quiet. Nobody knew what to say. They didn't want to say goodbye because it felt like they would be saying goodbye forever, but they also didn't want this moment to pass as this may be the last time they got to see us.

I knew I should be going soon. I had asked Christian to come and collect Rose, but he wasn't here yet. I wanted her to have someone who would show her where to be if I were not around.

We talked about nothing for a little while, pretending this was Sunday afternoon tea. Rose was highly uncomfortable; I think she actually preferred war at this point. I knew having a family was strange to Rose, who grew up without her parents. She wanted to support me. She had placed her hand in mine, and both were resting on my thigh.

When Christian came in it was almost a relief. I loved spending time with my family, but this limbo was awful.

Christian greeted each one of us and took my place sitting beside Rose, but without the hand holding.

"I have to go."

This made the whole room stiffen again, and my mother practically threw herself at me. I had been to war many times, and I had fought Snow Dragons before, but we all knew this time it was different.

"Be careful, Dimka. Come home safe and take care of Rose."

I heard my grandmother snort and say something about it being the other way around, but chose to ignore her ramblings.

"I will. I promise." Stupid promise to make, but one I intended to keep.

With a final hug from my mother and sisters, I left the room. Not looking back to see my mother shed the tears she had been holding back.

The war council was held in a dark room deep inside the mountain. I wondered if it was designed to reflect the things discussed in here because it looked absolutely dreadful. I had changed to my Dragon form and found the room to be even more oppressing. Was it just me, or had it always been this way?

Around the table, all the Generals were gathered. I took my place - the spot next to Tatiana. I saw some of the older Dragons narrow their eyes, but they all knew my place was there.

Despite my age and background, they couldn't argue with the results. I had the most strategic mind here, and Tatiana trusted me the most.

"Nice of you to join us, General Dimitri the Honorable. Have a nice sleep in with that little hybrid of yours?"

I knew some people would take offense to Rose in general, and some would take offense to our relationship specifically, but to point it out so blatantly here was rude and a clear indication that some still hadn't accepted me. I was already missing Arthur.

"Actually, I used the last few spare minutes I had to say goodbye to my family. We all know the dangers of war. We did try and sleep as much as we could seeing as we came back early this morning from Arthur's cave."

And just like that all the attention on Rose and me was gone, and everyone was reminded of why we were here.

"Arthur was a good man. I fought many battles beside him. It is tragic that he met his end in this way."

"…and intentionally," I added.

"I think they specifically targeted him to provoke us. They were threatening near the border, but that didn't elicit the response from us that they wanted. So they made sure we couldn't ignore them any longer. But that is their mistake. They will find out that if you mess with a Dragon, you get their flame. We outnumber them. We are better trained, and we will show them who they are messing with."

The other Generals nodded. On the one hand we were playing into their hands, responding to a taunt like a four-year-old. But I thought of it differently. They were getting restless. They needed to progress to war to satisfy their desire for blood. Their allegiance was falling apart, and they were trying to salvage their attempt by moving up the timetable. They were vulnerable now. We, as a well-trained military, were able to respond at any time. Our mobilization speed was high, and it wouldn't have mattered if we attacked now or in a few months. Maybe Rose would have some more training, and some young recruits could have benefited, but we were built to be solid at any time. We trained to respond at any time.

I looked over at the map and saw the distribution of battalions and squads. I agreed on almost all fronts. I started to reach for my piece, indicating my battalion and specifically my squad. I had half a mind to place the piece further back, so Rose would be safer. But instead, my hand moved the piece closer to the border. My grandmother had said that Rose was vital in winning this war, and I had seen what she could do. I needed to trust her, trust them both. I certainly knew that I could utilize my skills to their full potential when I was on the front line.

So it was decided. Our squad would move in deep into enemy territory and locate and destroy the root of the problem, while the others would hack away at Snow Dragons, killing as many as they could. In a way, this was safer. We shouldn't be encountering as many Snow Dragons as the others, but on the other hand, if we got stuck there, all would be lost.

After the plan had been made, I made my way to the courtyard where my squad was waiting. We consisted of about fifteen Dragons and Rose, my battalion was larger, but each sub-unit had their own leader that would handle the day to day instructions. So for the most part, I would deal with these fifteen.

But before I could make it that far, Tasha was moving towards me.

"Hey Tasha, You got your orders?"

She nodded. She was with a different battalion, so she would get her orders from someone else.

"Yes, I am in the fifth. I was kind of hoping I would get to join your squad actually."

She put one claw up to my chest and actually batted her eyes at me. I so didn't have time for this.

"Allocations were made a long time ago. Besides, I have Christian in my squad already. I don't need any more fire experts."

"And yet, you placed Rose there. I doubt she can kill any Snow Dragons with those tiny human hands, so I assume she has a flame as protection?"

I smiled. Rose did have her flame. A very powerful and hot flame. So hot it even affected some Dragons if we weren't careful. But she would kill Snow Dragons with those tiny human hands, because those tiny hands would be holding a sharp blade and those hands were attached to an agile body with a devious mind.

"Rose is special."

"I don't understand why you are taking her at all. I have no love for the hybrid Dimka, but you are deliberately putting her in danger."

Even if Tasha was jealous of Rose, and overall was a pushy Dragon, I did appreciate this. She wouldn't stand by and simply watch as someone got hurt, for no good reason. Deep down Tasha had a good heart.

I softened my gaze at her, and I saw hope reflected in her eyes. I immediately regretted it and placed my General mask over it.

"Rose is very capable of taking care of herself, you'll see. I would never put her in a position I knew she couldn't handle. Now I have to go to my squad and so do you."

She nodded as she took a step back.

"Be careful Tasha. Come back safe," I said as I moved past her.

"You too."

I walked the distance to the field where my squad was located. It was a bit tricky navigating, as many other squads were waiting for their leader to show up.

Once I reached my own squad, they fell into position. I saw Rose look a little confused but joined them on the line. It was almost comical seeing her in between two Dragons ten times her size. But it isn't your size that determines your worth; it is the content of your heart. Although it is easy for me to say that as one of the largest Dragons.

"We won't be on the front line battling the line of Snow Dragons."

I saw a few faces fall. It was testimony to the arrogance of a Dragon that glory earned in battle meant more than possible safety. But I also noticed Rose looked a tiny bit disappointed. I tried very hard not to smile. She would fit in here perfectly.

"We won't be killing as many Snow Dragons as we can find."

Again confusion and disappointment.

"We will move beyond the front line and infiltrate enemy territory. We will find the ones responsible for this incursion, and we will eliminate the source of the threat. We will find those responsible for the order of Arthur's death, and we will take them down. If Snow Dragons think they can come into our territory and terrorize us they shouldn't be surprised we do the same. We will make the Snow Dragons fear us now, by killing their strongest and most feared. They will know who we are and they will scream our names in their nightmares."

My voice was picking up with each syllable I uttered. And I saw my squad was getting more and more excited.

"Dragons. Now we ride!"

I heard loud agreements and battle cries from my men.

I bent down so Rose could get up on my back. Once she was fully seated, I took to the skies in one fell swoop, the Dragons of my squad following close behind me.

Other squads were taking to the skies with us in the lead. When I turned around, after we had a nice cruising altitude, I saw the sky was almost black with Dragons. This was the biggest war we had ever fought, and I was proud to lead the charge. Because for better or for worse, this war would never be forgotten.


	28. Chapter 28

RPOV

I looked back in awe. I had never seen so many Dragons at once. As we were flying over human villages, I saw people screaming and running inside. But they didn't need to fear us; we had a different prey in mind.

It became a little less daunting as several squads, and larger battalions started to split off in different directions. I had felt a little self-conscious. I was the only humanoid in the army, and I was riding the largest Dragon at the very front. It did make a statement though.

When I had arrived with Christian, I had seen some of the squad members looking confused. Eddie and Mason had met me enthusiastically, and they all greeted me politely, but you could see the question forming in their eyes.

'Was Dimitri crazy?'

I had looked at Christian expectantly, believing he would give them an explanation, but he was silent on the matter.

"That was some inspirational speech you gave there, Comrade. I knew you could put that sage wisdom of yours to good use."

Well, I didn't know if it was really sage wisdom telling we would haunt the nightmares of Snow Dragons, but it surely was poetic.

I could feel a chuckle emanating from his body.

"I was stuck with the weird ones who were actually disappointed that they wouldn't be working on the front lines."

I laughed. Yeah, I had noticed that too.

"I am sure they will be satisfied with killing the big shots."

"I just hope I made the right decision. The original plan was to force them back over the border. I placed our squad in danger and moved them beyond the border. I know that if we don't take out these leaders, the problem will keep coming back, but if these Snow Dragons can rally so many supporters, they are powerful and will not be easy to take down."

I stroked the side of his neck, and I felt his muscles relax underneath me. There was something to be said about Dimitri in his Dragon form, especially when I was flying with him. I could feel him respond through his body, whereas in his human form I had to rely on simply seeing his response. Not that looking at his human body was terrible, I am just saying this definitely had its advantages too.

"You made the right decision. It isn't just about being safe now. It is about not fearing for the future either. If we don't do this, we will always wonder when the next war will break out."

I could tell he agreed, and strategically he'd made the right call. He just felt guilty because he put his squad in even more danger, put me in more danger. But as long as I was fighting by his side, I would be okay.

After a few hours of flight, I noticed some Dragons were starting to lag behind. Dimitri also noticed, and he was scanning around to find a place to rest. He found a nice clearing with a stream next to it, to provide fresh water.

He landed, and the other Dragons in our squad landed too. I saw some were grateful for the break. I didn't think Dimitri was very tired, but then again, he had a very large wingspan so he could move faster with less effort.

I got off him and stretched my arms and rubbed my legs. Dimitri was wider than your average horse, so my legs were spread pretty far. Luckily I was agile, but I was still rubbing them to stimulate blood flow.

He noticed what I was doing and chuckled. I whined a little, and then a wicked smile came across my face.

"Maybe we do need to have a saddle made. It would make it a lot more comfortable."

His smile was replaced with a frown, and I heard Christian laugh beside me.

I looked around but saw that we hadn't packed anything. I had a bag of clothes, but other than that, there were hardly any supplies except the weapons they carried and a few bags of clothes for when the need arrived to transform to human. I was starting to get hungry. What would we do for food?

The thought had just formed in my head when a large carcass was placed at my feet. The poor deer's eyes were still open, and I could only imagine its last moments had been terrifying.

I saw someone had already made a fire and was roasting another poor animal.

Right, Dragons wouldn't need provisions. They would hunt and make a fire. Handy.

They were nice enough to roast me a piece of meat. I noticed some liked theirs rare; some still warm and possibly with a pulse. But some, like Christian and Dimitri, also cooked their meat.

I wondered if that was all we ate from now on.

I sat next to Dimitri eating my piece of meat. I wasn't overly close, to avoid arousing suspicion, but I also wasn't straying too far from him. I didn't know how he wanted to handle this. Did people here know we were together? I knew Mason didn't know, but there were also a lot of rumors going around, so I had no idea. Did he want to treat me like any other soldier in his squad? Would we have a little alone time from time to time? Did I have to sleep alone?

The last thought scared me the most. I was looking forward to spending some snuggle time with a warm Dragon. I knew we would be flying into cold territory. I had packed for those temperatures, but hadn't brought a tent or anything. I would freeze to death.

I saw some of the Dragons eye me curiously. It was as if they were wondering the same thing I was. What was I to Dimitri, and why was I here?

One brave soul stood up and approached Dimitri.

"Can I talk to you, sir?"

He was eyeing me, so I knew he wanted to discuss me. Dimitri seemed to notice this too, but stayed seated next to me.

"Of course."

I think the other Dragon meant in private, but Dimitri either didn't realize it, or he was purposely ignoring it.

The other Dragon was looking a bit uncomfortable. I saw Christian across from me watching expectantly. I think he was anticipating drama and wanted a front row seat.

The Dragon cleared his throat.

"I was just wondering what she was doing here? This hardly seems like a mission for her."

Dimitri raised his eyebrow. Well, the ridge above his eye covered in scales at the moment.

"I mean, I trust your judgment sir, but what we will be doing is dangerous."

I rolled my eyes. Did he realize how condescending he sounded? I heard Eddie and Mason chuckle behind him. They had seen what I could do, and I looked over to Eddie and Mason and they nodded.

"That is exactly why Rose is here. This is a different kind of mission. It doesn't require brute strength but finesse and the element of surprise. Rose fits perfectly in that scope."

I heard the Dragon murmur something about that he was surprised all right.

It seemed Dimitri wasn't discussing it any further and the Dragon walked away. I was getting up, trying not to be obvious about it. I walked over to Eddie and Mason and started a conversation. I felt Dimitri's eyes shoot a hole in my back. But whether it was because I was hanging out with Mason, or because he had sensed some mischief in me, I didn't know.

The Dragon was almost back to his spot next to the fire roasting a large deer when I turned around and started to sprint towards him. Like a good soldier, he responded although he didn't know how. After all, I was charging him head on. He could simply swat me away. Eddie and Mason started to fly next to me, and just like that I jumped from the ground to Mason and he pushed me toward Eddie, and from Eddie I jumped onto the Dragon's back, thrusting my sword lightly at the base of his neck.

"I am full of surprises," I said, still on the Dragon's back. He tried to get me off, but Dimitri had been right - Dragons couldn't reach there.

I jumped off him and sheathed my sword. I walked back to Eddie and Mason and high fived them. Well, they only had three Talons. They were laughing, and the Dragon looked stunned. He wasn't moving. I heard the others chuckle from behind. One placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Well that answers that question now, doesn't it, Stan the Rigid?"

I nearly peed myself from laughing as I heard his nickname. He must be strong to be included in this squad, but apparently, he wanted things done a certain way. And I certainly wasn't it. But I could tell I had scored some points with the others.

When I turned around to Dimitri, I saw him shake his head, but there was a look of pride in his eyes. This had been the perfect ice-breaker.

"Rose is perfectly capable of taking care of herself as you can see. Eddie, Mason, and I have worked with Rose, to perfect her fly-and-jump. That, together with her powerful flame she has been learning to control with Christian, will see Rose as a good asset to our team. Now I know having a hybrid in our team will be a bit of an adjustment, but I am sure I can count on all of you to make her feel welcome and to help her where you can."

They all nodded. I was a little disappointed. I had wanted him to add a bit to his speech. He didn't need to profess his undying love or serenade me, but a little acknowledgement who I was to him would have been nice.

After we had eaten and rested, we prepared to fly again.

"You can fly with me if you want Rose," Mason said, but from the growl emanating from Dimitri, he didn't think that was a good idea. So he _did_ want to mark his territory.

"Maybe later, Mason the Red. Right now we need speed to reach the Northern territories fast. Rose on your back will slow you down, and you are already one of the slowest in our squad. It makes more sense for me as the fastest to carry her."

Not that I complained, but I saw Mason was actually a little hurt. Dimitri was oblivious to Mason's reaction and bent down so I could climb on.

He took to the sky with the rest following. Mason and Eddie were behind a bit.

We were at the front, and the wind was at our back, so anything we talked about I doubted could be overheard.

"You hurt him you know?"

"Who?"

"Mason! He was just trying to be nice, and you said he was slow."

I felt him stiffen and I knew he hadn't realized he had offended him.

"I didn't say he was slow."

He couldn't see me as I was on his back, but he must have known the kind of expression I had because he sighed.

"I said he was one of our slowest flyers, and that is true. Having you on his back will only slow us down more."

"Maybe, but that is not why you said it. You said it because you were jealous and wanted to get him away from me. He looks up to you. You need to give him a compliment or something when we land."

I heard him growl, clearly not agreeing with me.

"Comrade? Is there a reason why we can't let them know we are together? I mean, are you purposely keeping it from them?"

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know how to act around you with all of them around. Am I just another soldier in your squad, am I your girlfriend? Your lover? Can we even be together while we are here? And where will I sleep tonight?"

I heard and felt Dimitri chuckle.

"You are over-thinking this way too much. Of course, you'll be sleeping with me. If we actually have time to do anything other than sleeping remains to be seen, because I will not make love to you while fifteen Dragons can watch. And when we are in battle, I need you to follow orders like the rest of them, but I have no problem with people knowing we are together. In fact, I think I will let them all know as soon as we touch down."

I could tell that 'people' actually meant Mason.

"Okay. Sure."

I leaned into him and wrapped myself around his neck as far as I could reach. I had moved a little down, so I was on a bit broader piece of his back. It was impossible for my legs to spread that wide so I was sitting side saddle as it were. But this way I could snuggle in very nicely and catch some sleep. We hadn't had much last night, and it was catching up to me.

I woke up when Dimitri started to descend. We landed at the edge of a town, and to my horror all Dragons, fourteen male and I noticed now one female, changed into their human form. And all of them were stark naked.

From somewhere in the back appeared a knapsack and human clothes were distributed. I saw the female look at what she was handed, and make her way over to me.

"Hey, I am Meredith the Dependable. These clothes are atrocious. I should have known better than to trust males to do the human clothes packing. You wouldn't have anything more appropriate would you?"

I took her hand as she offered it to me in greeting.

"Hey, I am Rose, and I think I might have a shirt that will fit better. But I think my pants will be too short on you."

Meredith checked out the difference in height between us and agreed, but was thrilled when I handed her the shirt. It did look good on her.

Once dressed Dimitri stood next to us.

"What are we doing here, Comrade?"

"We will stay in a tavern for the night. This is one of the last large human villages before we reach the Mountain range. After tonight it will be makeshift camps every night. So I thought we could stay here tonight. Let the boys have some ale. They will be much easier to fly with in the morning."

Meredith snorted.

"Yeah, if you don't count the hangovers. But at least they can't complain you are no fun as a General and working them hard and such."

"Exactly" Dimitri responded with a wide grin.

And with that, we moved towards the human village. It must have been quite a sight. Two women, and fourteen men total.

We entered a tavern, and I saw Dimitri walk over to the tavern keeper and negotiate some rooms. I wondered if he would get us a private room?

The other men walked directly to the bar and ordered ale. Lots and lots of ale. I saw Meredith was just as enthusiastic as the men. Maybe she was referring to herself as well when she talked about hangovers?

"Here Rose, I got you one too."

Mason handed me a large beer. I took it but didn't really know what to do with it. In the palace, we mostly drank water or wine. Beer was considered for town folk. I saw all the others down their drink and put their empty mugs on the table before ordering another. I took one sip and scrunched up my nose. It was kind of bitter, but I wanted to fit in, so I took the mug put the liquid to my mouth and drank. My god that was a big mug. But I drank the whole thing without breathing, and after I finished took in a deep breath and put the mug down on the table with a little bit more force than necessary. I was met with cheers all around, and a raised eyebrow from Dimitri as he joined us.

He handed a few people keys. I assumed they were for access to sleeping accommodations. He kept one, and I wondered if we would have to share our room with anybody. I also saw he had handed a key to Meredith, so maybe he was putting us girls together. I wouldn't mind spending the night with Meredith, but I certainly preferred Dimitri.

One of the guys handed Dimitri a beer, and he drank it. He wasn't sipping it as I did at first, but he wasn't chugging it down either. Somehow, Dimitri made drinking beer look sophisticated.

We settled in near the fire. I noticed it had a calming effect on almost everybody now the sun had set. The conversation was flowing nicely. Several conversations were happening at once, but all of it light. If I didn't know, I would have no idea we were soldiers on a mission. But then again, that is probably why Dimitri brought us here. One final moment of normalcy while we still had the chance.

I sat next to him. He wasn't engaged in any conversation himself, and I had just ended a conversation with Eddie and he had turned around to follow a different one.

Dimitri's hand slowly reached for mine, gently brushing his fingers against mine.

I leaned back a bit and turned to him.

"So how did Stan get his nickname? It isn't because of his… you know?"

I saw Dimitri look a little confused then a little shocked as realization hit him and then he laughed.

"No. No, nothing like that. He really is just rigid when it comes to procedures and such."

"So how did he end up in your squad? Most of the Dragons in here seem more… progressive and less rigid."

Dimitri nodded and looked over to Stan. I could more easily judge his age now that he was in human form and he seemed to be in his late forties. So did that mean he was in his four-hundreds? He was the oldest in the squad. Most of the Dragons were Dimitri's age or younger.

"That is exactly why he is here. We can think outside the box, and I have enough young people to undertake unique missions. But we need to have someone here that tells us when things are a bad idea. Sometimes I don't even see it. It makes you think about plans and strategies a lot better when there is always someone that tells you why they are wrong. It's saved us on more than one occasion. One of those occasions earned Stan his name. If he hadn't been so rigid, we would all be dead now."

Huh, never thought being rigid could be a compliment.

"So, am I sleeping in a room with Stan tonight?" I asked a little amused.

"No."

He lifted the key from his pocket.

"You are staying with me."

"Anyone else staying in that room?" I asked as I started to rub his arm, moving onto his chest, abs and down.

"No."

I could barely hear him; he sounded breathless.

I got up and stretched, giving people an overdramatic yawn.

"Well, I am heading off to bed. It has been a long day."

"Oh come on Rose, you didn't even have to fly," I heard Mason laugh.

"Yeah, well keeping my thighs securely wrapped around the General, certainly is exhausting."

Dimitri almost choked on the last bit of beer, and I saw some of them grin at him. I suppose we weren't fooling them.

"So are you sleeping with Meredith, or are you sleeping with the youngsters? They usually give us the crappiest beds. Something about their old bones needing a proper rest and better beds." Mason asked.

I laughed as I looked around. I knew the slightly older ones were picking on Eddie and Mason; I had seen their banter and jokes all day. But the only one old enough to have to claim a better bed seemed to be Stan.

"Nope, I have a different destination, Mase. I'll see you in the morning."

He looked confused, but I suppose the laughter of the others would soon enlighten him because Dimitri stood up and followed me.

"Just keep it down, you two. I actually want to sleep tonight, not listen to you two fuck."

I looked back to the Dragon who made the comment.

"But after this, we will only sleep outside with the lot of you around. And if you don't want to hear us fuck, I assume you also don't want to see us? So tonight might be our only chance."

He chuckled and another one actually said he wouldn't mind seeing it. Dimitri glared at him, and he quickly shut his mouth.

I walked up the stairs followed by Dimitri, leaving behind a group of laughing Dragons, bar one. Mason was pale and shocked, and I could see the horrible realization spread across his face. He really hadn't known - and now I felt bad for not telling him sooner.


	29. Chapter 29

DPOV

I was up before Rose, but that was no surprise. First of all, I didn't need as much sleep as she did, and secondly she actually fit in the bed, whereas my feet had been sticking out all night. These beds were not made for six foot seven Dragons.

Rose woke up just when I was putting on my shirt. I saw her pout as I was covering up my naked form.

She was still naked in bed and only covered by a sheet, despite the temperature. She was lying on her side and looking up at me, only slightly bent towards the ceiling. She was holding up the sheets to her breasts, covering most of them, but I could still see a little side boob. The sheets covered her stomach and one leg, but the other one was flipped over it. So I had a good view from her toes all the way up to her shoulder. Her hair was tousled, and I remembered exactly how her hair ended up that way. I think we failed in our promise to stay quiet and I could only assume the entire establishment had heard Rose scream my name and that of several deities last night. Of course, the sound of the bed hitting the wall over and over again must have alerted others as well.

But I had no regrets. Who knows when we would be able to be together again?

"Come on, Roza. I am going downstairs to order some breakfast for everyone. If you get dressed, we can get to the fun part of this morning."

She looked at me like I was crazy. To her there wasn't anything fun about waking up early. But she would soon realize, it had its advantages.

"Waking everyone up," I said way too chipper. She must have seen the gleam in my eyes as realization dawned on her. Waking up sleepy, hungover Dragons was an art form, one I truly enjoyed.

She quickly got out of bed to get dressed. I let out a small growl as I exited the room to head downstairs to arrange breakfast, reluctantly leaving behind a naked Rose.

I saw Stan sitting in a chair by the fire waiting patiently for the rest of us to wake up. I saw Meredith passed out in a corner. She never made it back to her room, but she seemed very comfortable hugging a pillow of a chair and lying on the ground with her head on an empty mug. I would leave her for a few moments more. Only a few moments though.

I walked up to the barkeeper.

"I need a large breakfast for sixteen and has there been any damage?"

He scowled at me as he placed the order to the kitchen and then returned to hand me a list. I frowned as I read the list and sighed at the length of it. At the bottom he had noted down a broken bed and wall with a question mark, no doubt referring to the sounds coming from our room last night. But I don't think we broke the wall or the bed.

I handed him a sack of coins.

"This should suffice."

I had been very generous, as I always was. It wasn't just about replacing the stuff. Some of these things will take a lot of effort to fix, and if there was something Dragons had no shortage of it was gold.

"You lot heading up North?"

I nodded. He looked me up and down curiously. Not many humans recognized us, but this barkeeper seemed to know who he was talking to. He must have seen his fair share of Dragons coming through here.

Dragons were no stranger to human towns and certainly weren't strangers to bars. There was something about being able to outdrink every human in sight that appealed to them. I know Adrian spent many hours in several around Court.

"They are moving further down, aren't they?"

This human knew his stuff. Although many humans knew about 'monsters' in the North, he'd also made the connection that we would be fighting them.

Barkeepers tend to see everything; the silent observers in many people's lives.

"Yes."

He nodded, but I could tell it wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. Although it meant someone was fighting them, it also meant they were being aggressive enough for us to have to deal with.

"You're not going in the right direction for a confrontation."

We weren't looking for a confrontation. At least not head on.

"My squad and I will infiltrate their territory, trying to take out the leaders."

He was stroking his beard and looked pensive.

"I am not sure if it will help, but I heard rumors from the Western mountains. There has been more activity than usual. I would start your search there."

I inclined my head in gratitude.

"If you lot make it back here successful, I'll let you stay here for the night for free."

I smiled.

"I guess we'll just have to make it back then."

I walked over to Stan with this new information. I took out the map we had of the region. The majority of the confrontation would be along the Eastern border to the left. Well, everything was North and cold, but we had to call it something. The Western parts we didn't send many troops, because the terrain is inhabitable, even for Snow Dragons. There are hardly any caves; it is just one big open tundra. The wind has free reign, and even Dragons would have a hard time flying there. Besides we would see them a mile away, so they would lose all strategic advantage. So it would have made no sense for Snow Dragons to be there. At least not for battle. But to be able to be close to the battle, get messages across and for the leaders to be well away from danger - it would be perfect for that.

I pointed out what the barkeeper had said, and Stan was staring at the map.

"They shouldn't be hard to find. I suppose they would need some coverage. There is a forest a little further back. I imagine they would run things from there. But just as they couldn't use it to sneak up on us, we can't use it to sneak up on them. They aren't idiots, despite their nature. They will have protection around. We don't have the men for an all-out assault."

No, we didn't. Stan was right. It would be hard going that way.

"What about looping around, from behind? We will need to cross that mountain range in the North."

"They will see us coming a mile away when we are flying."

"So we won't fly. We go in human form."

Stan just gawked at me.

"That will take ages."

I looked down at the map, and even though it wasn't to scale, I could estimate the terrain.

"It's about a hundred miles, nothing we can't do; it will take us about a week. There are freshwater supplies here and here. And I imagine there is game in these parts. We will also need less food and such when we are human. I'll ask the barkeeper to bring us some provisions."

I saw Stan didn't like it. He wasn't the fittest of our group, but certainly wasn't the worst. I could probably make it in four days, but our slowest would take about a week and a half. They would need to speed up. I wondered where Rose was in that range. I hadn't considered her fitness before because she would be flying with me most of the time. But a week on foot, climbing mountains. She wasn't trained for that. She hadn't endured our military training, and I wondered if she would be alright. Maybe I could convince her to stay here? I am sure the barkeeper could accommodate her. But I knew she wouldn't stay here. She would make it, no matter how hard it would be.

"Now, I better wake up the others, we should be on the move soon."

I may have said it with a bit more enthusiasm than I should, and I saw Stan grin. He too enjoyed this part. He never indulged too much, so I never had a chance to wake him like this. But he sure was sadistic in watching the others suffer my wrath.

Rose came downstairs looking fresh and ready.

"Roza, you want to do Meredith? I am making a round upstairs."

She looked confused. I handed her a bucket of cold water. There were even a few icicles floating around in it. I motioned towards Meredith.

"Are you serious? I am still trying to make friends here!"

"I am sure. It really is the only way to wake them up."

I took two buckets myself and headed up the stairs. Halfway up the stairs I heard the tell-tale scream of Meredith and her cursing.

I first made the entry to the boy's room. Christian was already up and grinning widely as I stepped inside. Mason and Eddie were fast asleep as were some of the other younger Dragons. The others really should have known better - they have been on missions with me before. But for Eddie and Mason, this was their first mission, so I considered this a sort of rite of passage.

Luckily for me, their heads were close together, and I would only have to use one bucket.

I lifted the bucket up and poured about half of it on them and the other half I threw around the room to hit the others. Both boys were up in a heartbeat screaming. To my pleasant surprise, Eddie was up in a battle position almost instantly. Mason, however, only grabbed his head after he had screamed. I suppose he had a hangover. I saw most of the others were in a similar state, so I shouldn't judge him too harshly.

"Come on boys. Rise and shine. We move out in an hour, breakfast is downstairs."

Mason looked at me a bit apologetically for the hangover. I wanted to tell him it was fine. I have seen a lot worse from my troops, and Rose did say I have to try and be nice to him. But somehow my face turned into a scowl, and I saw his face fall.

I moved onto the second room that held the rest of my squad. Almost all of them were up, bar one. They all smiled at me as I walked in with the bucket.

"I have breakfast downstairs."

They didn't move, they wanted to see the spectacle.

"Time to move out!"

And with that, I splashed my last bucket over my last remaining sleeping soldier who woke up with a scream and a few very original curses.

The first thing he saw when he came to his senses again was a room full of Dragons laughing. He joined in.

"I swear I told myself after the last time that I would never drink that much again. But that ale was good last night."

We all laughed, because he keeps telling himself that and he never listens to himself. I have been waking him up like this for the last few decades.

"Come on, breakfast is waiting downstairs."

About fifteen minutes later we were gathered around the breakfast table. Rose was sitting comfortably on my lap. Everyone seemed to be accepting us very easily. Well maybe except Mason. I had known he had a little crush on Rose, but the boy looked devastated. He wouldn't look at us, but maybe I was reading too much into it. Maybe he was just really hungover.

"So how did you end up with a hybrid anyway, General?"

I heard murmurs going out all around. It seemed everyone wanted to know our grand love story.

"Well I didn't know she was a hybrid when we met, neither did she. I thought she was human."

That got a reaction from everybody except Christian. He had been there for the meltdowns when I was first starting to fall for Rose.

"How could you not know she had some Dragon in her?"

It was true. We could sense the flame in hybrids, just like we could sense it in pure-blooded Dragons. They gave off smoky smell and the sense of contained power. I could see it in Rose now, but because of the binding spell, I hadn't back then.

"My father bound my powers when I was a baby. It wasn't until I started to hang around Dimitri that my inner Dragon came out and weird stuff started to happen. Before that I was your average human", Rose explained.

"Your father huh? That is not an easy spell to pull off. He made a deal with Yeva?"

Rose nodded, "She is scary, but he is pretty scary too. I don't think she stiffed him."

"Nobody is scarier than Yeva the foul. Well, maybe Ibrahim the Shrewd. Zmey is pretty scary too."

Rose started to laugh as I choked on my drink. I saw realization going around the room. Several Dragons were just gawking. Some at me, some at Rose, but the overall emotion was shock, and a little fear.

"No way. No fucking way. You're fucking Zmey's daughter? Are you crazy?" I nearly ripped his head off for stating it like that, but I should have known better then to think that Rose needed me to defend us.

"Hey, first of all, he isn't 'fucking' me. He makes sweet tender love to me… and then he fucks me. And second, my father doesn't dictate my life. I can fuck whoever I want."

She was proudly sitting on my lap eating a piece of bacon as the rest of them stared at her. It was a good minute before one of them erupted in laughter.

"She really is Zmey's daughter. You are 'making love' to Zmey's hybrid daughter."

"So how did that happen?" another asked.

"Well, I didn't know she was his daughter or a hybrid. I just saw her running away from some scumbag human royal after she had kicked him in the nuts for taking too many liberties."

Rose turned around towards me.

"You were there?"

I nodded. She hadn't seen me and the topic never came up, but that was the time I first saw Rose. And as I realized it now, I had already been affecting her then. She had set fire to the tree that had distracted me.

"I saw you being chased. I thought you were very brave."

She smiled and tucked her hair behind her ear, almost if she was shy.

"The douchebags guards finally caught her and dragged her back to the village, where they whipped her over and over again. He just wouldn't stop."

I was stroking Rose's back where they had peeled her flesh from her bones. I wasn't talking to the other Dragon's anymore. I was now talking to Rose, lowering my voice and conveying the pain I had felt even then as I watched them hurt her.

"I knew he would kill you, and I think you knew it too, but you stayed so strong. You didn't beg; you didn't scream, you just kept defying him. I knew I couldn't let you die. So I intervened."

I was running my hand from her back to her hair and her cheek. She softly leaned into my hand. I had forgotten there were other Dragons around.

"I took you to my cave and watched Karolina treat your wounds. They were so deep, and they were still bleeding. It took everything I had not to go back and bite that boy's head off. And then you woke up, and you looked so beautiful in just the sheet. As you were standing in front of me, it was as if you had always been standing there, like you had always belonged."

I pressed my head against her, and we came together in a gentle kiss. If it wasn't for the whistle from one of the Dragons, I think Rose and I would have stayed in our own little world.

I cleared my throat.

"I trained her so she could go back to the village and kick that guy's ass. And after she went back to the village she came back on occasion to keep training. I started noticing some weird things going on with Rose, and when I made my way to her village and saw Zmey there, I knew the truth. She had said a black Dragon had been watching over her since she was young. I put two and two together and realized Rose was a hybrid.

After her binding spell broke, I took her back to Court with me. She is still adjusting to her powers after a lifetime of having them suppressed, but I am confident she will learn to control them."

"Well, you are leaving out a few things in the middle that make the story much more interesting, but okay. I guess you got the essentials," Rose added.

Well, that certainly got the attention of everyone. Rose turned around on my lap and started to tell the bits and pieces I left out. I really wish she hadn't.

"So did you know, Dimitri has a library full of porn?"

I groaned and leaned back in my chair.

"It isn't porn."

Rose laughed.

"Could have fooled me."

"It is those knight novels from that human writer. There are some scenes in there that contain that kind of stuff, but the vast majority is just action."

I saw a few Dragons scrunch up their nose. The novels were considered a guilty pleasure for sure. Certainly among soldiers.

"Dude, it might have been better to let us all believe it was porn."

"They are good stories" I defended.

They all laughed, including Rose. I don't think I was ever going to live this down.

"And I haven't even talked about the fact that just like he didn't know I was a hybrid, I didn't know he was a Dragon. I knew a Dragon had saved me, but he failed to mention that _he_ was the Dragon that saved me. For a while, I thought the Dragon and Dimitri, were two different people."

I could still hear the hurt in her voice. I really messed up.

"Really, so how did you find out", Mason asked, and I groaned again. I saw Rose cheeks heat up a bit.

"Umh, well. He misspoke. He was… preoccupied and he called me Roza when he was in his human form, but only the Dragon called me Roza."

"Yes, it took a lot of groveling and apologizing to get back in her good graces, and no, I won't grovel to any of you if I do something wrong. Emphasis on the if."

Rose giggled in my lap.

"That reminds me, Comrade. I haven't seen much of that groveling. We might have to fix that."

I didn't like the gleam in her eyes. I didn't like it one bit.


	30. Chapter 30

RPOV

We flew most of the morning and reached the foot of the mountain by midday. From the sky, it really didn't look like much of a walk. And as Dragons, we might have been able to cross it in a day. But now we had to walk the distance, and Dimitri said it would take us about a week to do so. I wasn't looking forward to it.

I was very grateful I had packed some good boots.

All the Dragons transformed into their human form and got dressed. The further we went the colder it got, but I noticed their clothes didn't change. They were mostly wearing shirts and pants, and leather boots. No thick fur coats or anything like that. I also noticed while I was wearing a few more layers and had packed warmly, I wasn't as cold as I had expected. Must be some internal flame thing.

Once we were all packed, Dimitri consulted his maps one more time before we started walking. He had asked me and Mason and one other Dragon to lead. I knew why - he judged us the slowest, so we should set the pace.

I didn't know how I was going to make it over the mountain but was confident I could make it.

I had that belief until we were a few hours in and I was breathing heavily. We were on a piece with a steep incline, and the top just kept getting further and further away.

I was about to start whining or sulking, or just do something else than walking up that damn mountain, when I felt Dimitri's hand on my back and his eyes held pride. I couldn't let him down. Not as my boyfriend and certainly not as my General, so I soldiered on.

Finally, I made it to the top, and I triumphantly raised my arms in the air. I heard Dimitri chuckle, whereas the others all sat down to take a breather. Although I was definitely the one breathing the heaviest, most Dragons were breathing loudly too. Dimitri was the only one who seemed to be doing fine. But although he wasn't breathing like a horse, I could see the rise and fall of his chest with a frequency higher than his normal rhythm.

It made me feel a little better that they were having a difficult time too.

"Take five minutes to rest and hydrate. We will stop for the night at the base of the mountain."

Dimitri pointed to a small stream of water down, way down in the valley, at least it was downhill.

After five minutes, Dimitri got up and started to walk again.

My own groans were muffled by the groans of everyone else. But we all soldiered on.

I dropped to the ground when Dimitri finally said to make camp when we reached the valley.

Once he had made the necessary orders, he sat down next to me.

"You did well, Roza. It will be easier tomorrow."

I really doubted it. I would be sore all over. A little smile came across my face as a thought came to mind.

"I might be sore tomorrow. You should really massage me to make sure I can still walk tomorrow."

He smiled.

"I can cook you a warm dinner instead."

"Sold."

He shook his head as he unloaded his supplies and started to make preparations for dinner.

I sat there and watched him. Everyone seemed to know their role, but I either didn't have a role, or nobody told me.

"Rose, can you help me with the fire?"

I got up, happy to be doing something and being needed, although with so many Dragons around, I was probably the last one to help with the fire. But nonetheless I walked over to Christian as he had collected logs.

"Can you start a fire on this one, then I can collect more firewood. And make it a good one too. This will probably be the last one. We will be too close tomorrow. They will be able to spot us due to the smoke."

"Do you have a fire starter then, or some matches?"

He just looked at me funny as he walked away. Right. Half Dragon. Should be able to do this.

I piled the logs in an optimal position and took a deep breath. I didn't breathe fire like the rest of them but exuded fire from my every pore. Christian had been working with me, and I could at least summon the fire without burning my clothes. It was like they had a mind of their own and I could communicate with them, tell them what I wanted them to do.

My flames seemed to be alive, like a part of me was embedded in those flames. I wondered if Dimitri had the same connection with his fire. I had mostly seen his giant flame shooting up in the sky, and although I knew mine could be as destructive if not more, it did feel different.

I breathed in and out, letting the flames come to the surface. I saw them dancing on my hand and took a moment to admire the colors and movements of the flames. They burned bright at the base of my hand and dissipated into the air as they moved further away from my skin.

Now I had to transfer them to the logs and control them long enough for the logs to catch fire. I sent a few flames towards the wood and willed them to stay there. I felt the moment the flames were no longer mine, but were now controlled and fueled by the wood and air around them.

Christian came back and piled a few logs next to the fire.

"Nicely done. Now make sure it keeps burning, you are on fire duty."

I groaned but dutifully sat down next to the fire, at least happy I had a job, even if it was a boring job.

Mason sat down next to me.

"You really are getting better at controlling your flame."

Yeah, when I was happy and didn't have a lot of stress, and the person that kidnapped my best friend and charge wasn't in front of me trying to steal her power and lock her up. Then I was just peachy.

"Thanks, I have been practicing."

"I noticed."

I saw him looking down at his hands. He didn't know how to hold a conversation now that he knew I was the boss' girl.

"Mason."

"It's okay Rose. I missed a lot of signals that everyone else seemed to have picked up on. It's my own fault. But can you tell him not to be such a dick? I feel like he is picking on me."

I laughed. But unfortunately, it was a little true.

"He is just in General mode. He is under a lot of pressure and just wants us all to make it home safely. He is pushing us hard to make sure we survive. Trust me; I have been on the other end of his wrath too."

Not as much as Mason, but still. When Dimitri was in General mode, he was cold to me too.

Mason nodded, apparently unconvinced.

"So how are you holding up?"

I started to rub my legs.

"Tired but okay. You?"

"Same."

Again a bit of awkward silence. It had always been so easy to talk to him, but now it was just weird. I think we were both a bit relieved when Eddie sat down next to us.

His groan was loud, and we both chuckled.

"What, I trained my wings, not my legs."

I put on a serious face, trying to mimic Dimitri's voice by lowering it a few octaves.

"A good soldier is prepared for anything. Life is never predictable."

Both boys laughed.

"That is spot on. You really sound like him."

We were all three laughing when Mason and Eddie suddenly stopped.

I felt a presence behind me, and I squinted my eyes.

"He is behind me, isn't he?"

They nodded.

"He heard what I just said, didn't he?"

They nodded again.

I turned around on Dimitri and saw him standing there six feet seven tall, towering over me with his arms crossed and a scowl his face.

"So you done with dinner Comrade? I am starving."

He just shook his head and walked away. But I could see the smile tugging at his lips. I turned around to the boys and winked in triumph.

A hot meal was just what we needed, and afterwards, I could hear contented sighs all around, instead of tired whines.

The sun was already setting although I didn't think it was that late. But in the North the days were short and the nights long, and for fire Dragons such as ourselves, that wasn't ideal.

But the sky was clear tonight and the stars shone bright and the moon was almost full giving off a nice bit of light. I could feel the light of the sun reflected on the moon and could even feel the fire emanating from the stars.

I moved a little closer to Dimitri, snuggling up to keep warm. His body was relaxed and I felt his hand stroke my hair and back as he was talking to someone else.

It wasn't long before Dimitri said it was time to sleep because apparently we were having a long day tomorrow and needed to get up early.

We laid down on the ground. The others seemed to be used to it, but I didn't really know how to sleep without a blanket. But as soon as Dimitri pulled me close to him and spooned me as the big spoon, I felt at peace. It wasn't long before the glittering darkness made way for complete darkness as I fell asleep.

I woke up to Dimitri smooching my neck. I looked around but saw everyone else was still asleep and snoring loudly. He couldn't possibly want to take this any further here? But I did feel his hand moving over my stomach and in between my legs. I gasped as his hands rubbed me through my pants.

"Dimitri?"

"The stream is fueled with some hot water. It isn't too cold to bathe in. I thought we could take bath together."

Oh, thank god, somewhere slightly away from other people. I was relieved, but truth be told, if he had kept rubbing me, I would have consented to pretty much anything, including having other Dragons watch. As a matter of fact, the thought of someone watching was oddly thrilling, but then I thought about Stan and Mason watching, and I was over it.

Dimitri got up, and I followed him towards the stream. We were shedding our clothes along the way. But it was freezing. Dimitri didn't seem to be bothered by it, but I suppose my internal flame hadn't been set for subzero temperatures.

He seemed to notice that and took me in his naked arms.

"Just breathe in and out. Imagine a small ember inside, and by letting more air in, the ember glows hotter, but don't let it ignite to a full flame."

I did as I was told, and felt my skin heating up a bit. He smiled down at me as he let me towards the stream.

I dipped my toe in and shivered. I imagined the embers burning a little brighter still and felt the cold being chased away from my body.

He slipped in first and stretched his hand out to guide me in.

Step by step I followed him into the water. Once we were both in, I started to enjoy this bath. The water wasn't too cold. I actually think the air was colder than the water, and it was reflected by little puffs of steam coming off of the water in the morning sun.

He pulled me close and kissed me. At first gentle and sweet, but soon it heated up. His tongue was rubbing on my lip, begging entrance. The heat from his tongue and his skin ignited heat from within me, and I was no longer cold. In fact I think the only thing that kept me from bursting into flames right now was the cold air and water around us.

His tongue played with mine for a bit, while his hands roamed my body. When we both needed to come up for air, he started to lick my neck and suck on the spot where my neck connected to my shoulder. I think I would have a hicky afterwards. But it wasn't what his tongue was doing that really intrigued me. It was his hands and more precisely his fingers that were traveling to certain places that had me whimpering.

He was just playing around the edges, stroking my folds, and circling my clit without moving inwards. I could feel him growing rock hard against my stomach and decided if he could tease me, I could tease him.

I started to play with his balls, and I heard him groan. I moved my fingers slightly back, simply rubbing his taint and feeling his erection continue even there. Funny I always thought it started at the base of the balls, but I could clearly feel his shaft emanating from a place further back. And it was sensitive if his gasps for air were any indication.

I think I might have broken him, because he violently ripped my hand away from the spot, lifted me up and plunged deep inside of me.

The water made the movements slow and steady, but he certainly made up for it by plunging deep. The water also had another added advantage. I was lighter in the water, and he didn't need to spend so much energy supporting me. And I didn't need to clamp my legs around him so tight to support myself. The movement was almost equal in energy as when we were horizontal.

"I thought you might have taken me right there where we slept, with everyone around."

I felt him chuckled against my neck.

"I almost did. They sleep like babies - nothing wakes them up. I could just imagine me slipping down my pants just far enough to free my cock. I would do the same to you. Just slip down the back of your trousers far enough for me to reach your warm folds. If our bodies were pressed together enough, no one would even be able to see it. I would have had to move gently and only make small strokes."

And as if on cue he thrust up hard and deep, instead of the shallow and small strokes he promised if we had stayed behind.

"You wouldn't have been able to make much noise. Even the slightest whimper could have alerted someone to our activities."

I let out a loud moan, grateful we were far away from the other Dragons.

"And when you would come, you couldn't do anything but look serene. No O-face, no moaning, or sighing or anything. You'd just have to keep a neutral face as I make you come."

Honestly, the way he was describing, it did sound hot. Something about having to restrain the almost unrestrainable was very appealing. But as my moans were getting louder and my movements more erratic as I felt the desperate need for release, I knew I wouldn't have been able to do this if we had stayed with the others. It would have been torture, delicious torture.

Dimitri's groaning increased both in frequency and in amplitude as he was pounding into me as hard as the water allowed, displacing a good amount of water.

"You wouldn't have been able to move like this, or groan like this; you would have to stay quiet as well."

He buried his face in my hair as I felt his body tighten in preparation for his climax.

"I am much happier with this choice."

I was almost there, I actually imagined a restrained Dimitri, releasing his hot seed inside of me while nobody was none the wiser. His General mask was on, but I could tell by the slight twitch of his eye and the fact his lips were parted. I imagined the pure pleasure I saw in his eyes. Pleasure I saw in his eyes now, except his face was strained and he was gritting his teeth, hanging on by a threat, trying to last as long as possible to make me come too. Now I loved Dimitri's orgasm face. It was one of the few moments he let himself go and he seemed oddly vulnerable when he did, but the moment before it was amazing, too. The desperate need to come inside of me, to complete the pleasure my body was providing him. I imagine I had a similar face and was relishing in the pleasure he was giving me.

I saw the moment the string snapped, and he had to let go. I felt him flood me and it was like his seed set off a chain reaction inside of me, making me come with him.

My body relaxed against him. He was breathing heavily against my neck and nuzzling my ear.

He pulled me close and kept us there for a while, just enjoying the moment. Although the blood had drained from his member, he was still nestled inside of me.

"Maybe next time, we can try it where we sleep?" I said only half joking, but Dimitri growled possessively.

"I am not having other people watch us, watch you having sex. You are mine."

The words warmed my heart, but I saw something else come over Dimitri I hadn't expected based on those words. Shame and fear. I didn't understand those emotions at all.


	31. Chapter 31

DPOV

"You are mine."

I pulled back in shame but tried not to let it show on my face. By the confused look on Rose's face, I hadn't succeeded.

I doubt she would understand. I knew she loved me, and she didn't take offense to those words, but the fact I had used and more importantly meant them with all my heart was frightening me. Not that I didn't want her to be mine. I wanted us to be together for as long as the universe allowed. But in my mind, she was already mine. It didn't matter I hadn't actually placed the mark on her yet or not. I had claimed her in my head, and she had had no say in it.

I was no better than my father.

I moved out of the water trying to get back to the camp as quick as possible.

I heard Rose yelling from behind me. I turned around and saw a gentle, loving smile, mixed with some more mischief that seemed to be laced in almost all of her facial expressions.

"You might want to put on some clothes. I know Dragons don't take offense to nudity as much as humans, but I don't want everyone else seeing the goods that belong to me."

She walked over to me and softly stroked my chest and abs.

"This is all mine, just as I am yours, and I won't have others ogling it without my permission."

She kissed me on the cheek and then put on her clothes. I smiled. She had known why I pulled away and she had found the perfect response to make me feel at ease again. Rose had given me permission to call her mine. And if we made it out alive, I would make it official. I would claim her, so the whole world could see we belonged together. So the whole world could see how much I loved her.

Most of the Dragons were still sleeping as we came back. Some were just waking up with heavy groans. I decided to start breakfast. Nothing woke Dragons up faster than the smell of food, you know, other than a cold bucket of water. I had cooked a lot of meat last night, and we would be bringing most of it with us. We wouldn't be able to start any fires anymore so cold meat would have to do. And cooked meat lasted longer than raw meat. Although with these sub-zero temperatures, I don't think we'd have to worry about the meat going bad.

I saw everyone was taking their time with breakfast as to avoid the long walk today. I had planned the longest walk for today. So I knew if we could all make it through this day, we would be alright.

"Pack it up, we are moving out in ten."

They knew better than to argue with me, but I did see a lot of disappointed faces.

As I had predicted, the day had been brutal. But to my pleasant surprise, Rose had made it through relatively unscathed. Yes, she was exhausted, and she looked a little frazzled, but she certainly wasn't the worst one.

"Set up camp for the night, but we are too close for any fires."

They all nodded.

I had set up my maps and things on a rock and was pinpointing exactly where we were and how far we traveled today. It would be another day or so before we reached the start of the forest. We wouldn't really know where to go from there. The forest was huge, and there were hardly any structures so, we would have to send out several scouts to be able to get any information.

"Mapping out the base camp?"

Stan was standing beside me watching the map and watching our surroundings. We would have to figure out a base camp to send our scouts out from. We didn't know how long we would be there, but we had to have one place where all the scouts knew to return to.

I nodded at Stan's question.

"It will take another few days to get to the center of the forest. From there we can send out scouts."

We both looked at the map but all there was on the map was trees. We had no idea how accurate this map was. There weren't a lot of people living here, and the ones that did didn't make maps.

I folded up the maps again and declared them useless.

"We won't know what we are dealing with once we get there."

"So we just keep moving?"

"We just keep moving."

And that is what we did. Another three days and a lot of tired Dragons later, we were finally in the center of the forest. Or what by my rough calculation should be the center of the forest.

The spot we made base camp wasn't exactly bad. There was a clearing in the forest, surrounded by trees. The trees looked different from what we were used to. Our trees were green and lush, these almost looked ominous with thin dark green leaves. They were covered in snow, as was everything else. And the spaces between the trees meant it didn't really feel like a forest but more a piece of land with some trees scattered around. But the trees went on for miles and miles, and it was the only open place in the vicinity, the only thing breaking up the line of trees and the vast tundra surrounding it was the large snowy mountains in the back. They seemed pretty close, but I knew that those mountains were at least a week's flight from here. I couldn't even imagine walking that distance as a human.

We were still on a strict no fire order, and I knew many Dragons were starting to get irritated. During the day they had the sun to keep them company, but now that the sun had set, and we only had a sliver of light from the moon to help us see, it was starting to become difficult for them, certainly the youngsters.

"At first light, I will send out four scouts, in all four directions. We need to get the lay of the land and see where possible hiding places are."

We were now sitting around in a circle. Normally a blazing fire would be in the middle, but tonight it was a pile of snow. Conversation was almost non-existent. I knew they all craved a little action, but they seemed to realize that most of this mission was to gather information and stalk our prey rather than to actually engage. These were soldiers; they didn't do well sitting still. But we needed to be smart and not rash if we were going to make it out alive.

It was another cold night. Even with Rose pressed firmly against me and my internal flame, I could feel the cold starting to seep into my bones. Maybe it wasn't just the cold; it was the fact this place seemed to be devoid of life. It told me two things. One, animals were smart, living in this kind of environment was harsh, and only the most adapted will survive here. But this place didn't have any animals, no birds flying over, no snow foxes scurrying to their holes. And it wasn't because no animal could live here, it was because they recognized that something else lived here, something you stay far away from. The only comfort I took from that was that we seemed to be getting closer.

In the morning I sent four volunteers out. They were very eager, because at least they could do something, whereas the rest of us just had to wait.

It was a long wait. I had told them to be back before the moon was at its highest point. Three of the four had made it back in time, but the fourth had arrived only at the new dawn. But where the other three had come back with very little useful information, except some general area observations which would help me improve our map, the fourth had a look on his face which led me to believe he had some information of value.

He, me and Stan walked off to the side and started to discuss what he had seen. It wasn't much, just a hunch and we would have to investigate further to be sure, but it was a lead and a direction to look for.

"I will have the scouts concentrate on this area tomorrow, but still only recognizance. We need to know how many of them are there and if the leaders are present. When we strike, we need to take them all out, no exceptions. Otherwise, word will spread, and we will become the prey, not the predator."

The scout agreed to keep the information to himself and to take a few others tomorrow to show them what he had seen.

We came back to the fireless circle. I sat down next to Rose and pulled her close.

"Everything okay?"

Her sweet and concerned voice immediately pulled me from the General mode, and I could relax a little.

"Everything is fine. One of the scouts has seen something West of here. There will be a larger party scouting it out tomorrow."

She nodded as she snuggled deeper into me, trying to find warmth anywhere she could. I didn't think it could hurt to tell Rose that information. It would be common knowledge in the morning anyway; there would be several scouts going in the same direction, but any details I would have to keep to myself. The last thing we needed was one of the younger Dragons running off and taking matters into their own hands.

Another day went by, and I noticed Mason, in particular, getting worked up. How did I approach this? I needed him to calm down and stay focused. But every time I tried to talk to him, I tended to scold him or be rude to him.

I sat down next to him. I had started to woodwork a little to pass the time. I took a thick branch and started to carve away. I didn't know from the start what I would make, and in the dim moonlight or during the day when the sun was hidden behind clouds, making it eerily dark, it was hard to see sometimes, but they always amounted to something. We had enough knives around for him to blunt one on a piece of wood.

I extended a knife and piece of wood to him. He took it but didn't take any action to use it.

"Sitting still is always the hardest. Simply waiting for the action to start, not being able to relax because you have to be vigilant, but also not being able to do much. I always hate this."

He nodded.

"Half the day I imagined a Snow Dragon attacking our spot just so we would have something to do."

My face turned into a scowl, and I saw his face fall again. Damn I didn't mean to do that, but I wouldn't want to encounter a Snow Dragon just to get rid of boredom. I would rather be bored my entire life. We had to fight Snow Dragons to keep others safe. I had expected that, and I made damn sure that when they do get here, I am ready, but wishing them to come, speaks of his naivety. Because no matter how prepared you are, fighting Snow Dragons is never easy and each fight could always be your last.

"Maybe we can organize a training session. Sitting still isn't my strong suit either."

I tried to smile at him, but it didn't seem to come across. So I simply started to woodwork next to him. Eddie came and joined us and took a piece of wood. He seemed to understand the benefit of waiting more than Mason did.

After a while of Eddie and me shaving away at our wood, Mason got up a little frustrated.

"I am just going to get some fresh water from the stream. I think we are running low."

I looked over to the reservoir and saw it was more than half full, but if he needed a walk, he should go. I saw Eddie looking at me in alarm and making an excuse to go with him. I sighed. Was I really that scary? Or was Eddie more concerned about Mason?

The four scouts came back, and we conversed about what they saw, which wasn't much.

"We see some activity here and here,"said one while pointing at the map.

"But we can't determine how many Snow Dragons might be there and if one or more of the leaders are present. I think the activity is too low for it to be any Snow Dragons of significance. If they were the ones behind the organization of this, I would expect them to get more information from the front and therefore more comings and goings."

I nodded. This was probably a midway station. That didn't mean it was useless. We would have to move out and interrogate them. But we had to be smart about it. We couldn't let any of them escape. If word got out we were here, our entire mission was for nothing.

"Watch them for the next couple of days, if there is still no increase in activity, we move and take them."

The four of them nodded, and we moved back to basecamp, unaware of the young recruit who had listened in on everything.

It would mean another two or three days of doing nothing. Although I didn't mind the wait per say. I didn't like being inactive. Maybe I could organize some running or something to keep our bodies busy.

But for now, I was grateful it was time to sleep. At least it meant a few hours of being occupied.

I woke up earlier then I was used to. The nights were long here, and usually we were woken up by the first light, but the moon was still high in the sky, and there was no sign of the sun. I looked down to find Rose gone. That was what woke me up, the lack of her warm body pressed against me.

At first, I simply thought she had gone to relieve herself. She might be half Dragon, but she certainly had inherited a human-sized bladder.

But after ten minutes she still wasn't back yet.

I started to look around and counted the sleeping Dragons. I was four short. Rose was gone as were Eddie and Mason. Now my first thought was that they were planning a prank, but I noticed Rose had taken her blade. Although not a bad idea in these woods even if she had gone to pee or to prank, somehow I knew she had taken it because she moved further away from us and expected danger. And to my horror, I didn't see Christian anywhere either. Although young and eager, Christian had been in enough battles to know when to sit still.

I would have expected Mason to maybe try something. I would have thought Eddie to be a better judge of the situation, but the fact Rose and Christian were also gone alarmed me. Rose had a bit of a rash streak but she wasn't stupid and Christian would have stopped the whole lot from going.

So what made him go with them? What made Rose go with them?

The thoughts were enough to be alarmed, and I woke up the others, hoping one of them had heard something or knew where they were. But none of them had a satisfying answer, and I felt the dread spread across me as I knew this didn't bode well.

"All their stuff is gone."

I looked over to where the other Dragon was pointing. The dent in the snow told us it used to be occupied with something. But indeed, Eddie and Mason's stuff was gone. To my relief, Rose's and Christian's stuff was mostly still there, aside from their weapons.

It seemed Mason and Eddie had a different plan for what they wanted to achieve than Rose and Christian.

"Spread out, find their tracks and let's hope we find them before they do something stupid."

I should be mad at Rose and Christian for simply leaving without informing me, but I had to reluctantly agree that at least if Rose and Christian were with the boys, their chances of survival went up.

I strapped on my own weapon and moved along with the other's to trace their tracks. But the wind and fresh snow had a way of covering their tracks. We could make out some footprints at the beginning even in the middle of the night, but we lost them quick enough. We had to wait for first light to be able to effectively track them. But the hope of dawn was quickly squashed as it revealed an almost pristine pack of snow, with no interruptions anywhere.

We would have to be smart. Where could they have gone? As I looked to the West, I knew. They had figured out where the others had observed activity and they decided to take matters into their own hands.

They were morons.


	32. Chapter 32

RPOV

Freaking snow. Why does there have to be so much God Damn snow?

I had noticed some weird behavior from Mason last night. I had wanted to talk to him, but he just shut me down. It hasn't been the same between us since he realized Dimitri and I were together. That was seriously pissing me off. Was I only worthy of attention when I was available?

I woke in the middle of the night, because my brain was still fuming over the fact Mason was basically ignoring me. I looked around and noticed he wasn't there. When I noticed that Eddie was missing too, and that all their stuff was gone, alarm bells went off.

My first instinct was to wake Dimitri, but he had been so hard on Mason for the last few days, I decided that someone else was probably better suited to talk Mason down. And I didn't want him to get in any more trouble with Dimitri. So I did something I never thought I would do, and probably will never do again.

I asked Christian to help me. Yes, he was also helping with my flame, but Dimitri had orchestrated that. Not that I wasn't grateful, but I hadn't actually uttered the words 'help me' to him.

Christian and I had a bit of a strange relationship. We both recognized we would be in each other's lives and that it would mean so much to our better halves for us to get along, and in some way, we did get along. But we were simply too much alike to admit it.

I had carefully detangled myself from Dimitri and had woken a mumbling Christian up. When I explained that Eddie and Mason were missing, he quickly woke.

He had argued that we should tell Dimitri, but I first wanted to see if we could spare Eddie and Mason some humiliation and punishment by bringing them back before everyone, including Dimitri, woke up.

So that is why we were now trenching through the snow. So much snow. The further we went the harder it was to simply walk. The snow was already up to my knees. We were still able to follow their trail, but more snow was falling, obscuring their movements with every passing second.

It was almost light out, and I knew we would have no hope of returning in time to the basecamp, so no one had known we had gone in the first place.

I was starting to get discouraged of finding them when we spotted them sitting against an old cabin. It was a lonely structure here in the wilderness, and by the looks of it, it hasn't been used in ages.

When they looked up and saw us, I could see their disappointed faces.

"You idiots, what were you thinking? You could have walked right into a Snow Dragon trap!"

"I was thinking I was tired of your boyfriend waiting around and doing nothing. We knew they were here and he was not doing anything about it. He has been picking on me from the start. I would show him I was worth his time. I would show him that I could handle myself in a Snow Dragon fight… but they aren't here."

The last bit sounded like he was five years old. I understood his need to do something, but this was foolish.

"We have to get back. If we hurry, maybe I can spin it so they think we simply went on a walk or something?"

I saw Eddie nod, almost eager to be getting back but heard Mason say something colorful under his breath about me sure being able to _convince_ Dimitri. I chose to ignore that for his sake.

"So there was no activity here at all?" Christian asked.

Both boys nodded.

"We checked the cabin. But it doesn't seem like it has been used in a while."

I wondered why giant Snow Dragons would transform and use the cabin in the first place. Most likely they just used it as a way to orient themselves. It was the only distinguishable trait from the sky in the wide vicinity.

"You can check if you want."

Well, we were here now. I looked towards Christian and he simply shrugged. We moved inside and looked around. It did look like an old dusty cabin. One part of the roof had collapsed and the snow had also infiltrated the cabin there. I was really starting to dislike snow. It seemed like a virus, infiltrating anything, the cabin, the trees, my shoes and somehow my undergarments.

The cabin wasn't big. I doubt a full sized Dragon could fit in here. It was made for humans. There were some old pots and pans around, a large fireplace and one lonely rickety chair. Really the only thing that seemed to be new in this cabin was some writing on the wall. Letters mostly, but also some squiggly lines.

"There is nothing here, we checked. This was a waste of time. What we are doing here is a waste of time. We should be fighting Snow Dragons at the front with the rest. This war is going to pass us by, and we won't even have had a change to fight."

I sincerely doubted that. Not just because Yeva had told me otherwise, but also, because as I was staring at the writing it started to become clear what it represented.

Letters indicating the different battalions and the lines indicating where they were and if they had been dealt with. Some of the letters had a cross next to them.

This was a relay station for information. They had been here, and they would be here again.

"We need to get out of here."

All three boys noticed the slight panic in my voice as I was basically running outside. We would be sitting ducks here.

But it was too late. I ran right into the waiting claws of a Snow Dragon.

He looked somewhat confused to see us here. But as more and more of us came pouring out of the cabin his smile grew.

I had never seen a Snow Dragon, and I could see why the mere sight of them could entice someone to scream. Their scales were white, almost translucent. I could actually see blue veins just beneath the surface. Their eyes were an intense crimson red. Rumors go that they drink the blood of their victims and that turns their eyes red. And I would have to agree, the red in their eyes, was the exact color of blood. Their fangs were certainly longer than our Dragons.

Their overall appearance definitely screamed vicious predator, but there was an air about them that animals didn't have. They didn't just look dangerous. They had an air of death around them. And when I looked into their eyes, I couldn't detect anything of a soul. Even the most ferocious predator I had seen in my life had a reflection of a soul in their eyes, but with these Snow Dragons, their eyes were empty. Like staring into the night sky and nothing looks back.

The smirk that was pulling up at the snout wasn't helping things either.

The boys had all transformed into their human form to fit inside the cabin, and it was costing us now. The Snow Dragon didn't give them any time to transform back to their full size. And although I had been trained to fight Snow Dragons in my human form, they hadn't, and I kind of had to use them in their Dragons form to be able to fight Snow Dragons too.

A second Dragon landed beside him, and I could tell this one was female. Also, the vibe I was getting from her was less frightening than I had been getting from the male. Maybe because he was bigger, although I doubted it. Maybe because there was still a lingerance of humanity left in the eyes of this woman. I could feel the power and experience emanating from the male, whereas the female looked new and inexperienced. I immediately pegged the male as one of the leaders. Well, at least we found him.

"Look, Elena, I didn't think we would find Fire Dragons so far north. And with a human too. How peculiar."

He thought I was human. That would give me an advantage later on, but right now I had to play it cool. I wondered what it was that set me apart from the other fire Dragons. Dimitri is able to sense my power, so why couldn't he? But I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Let them transform back, Isaiah, at least they will be a proper meal that way."

I saw Eddie and Mason flinch. So the rumors were true. They did drink from their victims. Great, they would be done with me in one gulp.

"Oh, Elena, You have much to learn. We will feast on them, but they aren't here alone. I suspected they would send a troop north to intercept us. These are the scouts. I have no idea what the human is doing here though. Probably some battle whore for one of them."

"Hey."

Isaiah raised the scales above his eyes at me. He seemed amused at my reaction. I suppose that was better than the alternative.

"No, we are going to torture them until they talk and then we are going to drain them dry."

He moved so quick I didn't have time to move. I didn't even have time to blink. He had Mason and Eddie knocked out before I took my next breath. Elena was standing behind Christian, daring him to make a move. But he knew that there was no choice but to admit defeat now and hopefully have a chance to escape later. We would need all of us to be able to get out of here.

The Snow Dragons tied Mason's and Eddie's limp bodies to a tree. I saw Christian calculate if one of us could make a run for it and get the others, but neither of us was comfortable leaving Eddie and Mason. Isaiah had his hand around Eddie's neck and stuck his tongue out. The slimy appendage was slithering across his neck. But Eddie made no move, and Isaiah's eyes never left ours, daring us to make a move.

So reluctantly we surrendered to Isaiah, and he strapped us to another tree.

After he decided the power of his sheer size wasn't necessary anymore to keep us in line, he transformed into his human form, Elena following close behind.

When I say human, I mean humanoid. He had a head and body, arms and legs, and stood upright like us. So technically he looked human. But the creature before me had abandoned all forms of humanity long ago. Somehow seeing the pale skin and piercing red eyes in human form was more disturbing to me than seeing the equivalent in Dragon form. The fangs that were still present weren't helping matters either.

The sight of those fangs and red eyes became even more frightening when he sank his teeth into poor unconscious Eddie. I knew he wouldn't kill him, but he seemed to be taking a lot of blood and Eddie looked paler by the minute. His red eyes seemed to glow with new life as Eddie's blood was fueling Isaiah.

For a moment there, I thought he was actually going to kill Eddie, and I tried very hard not to let the panic show on my face. But eventually, he pulled back. He wiped his mouth almost in a dignified way, it being in stark contrast to his savage ways a moment ago.

"I assume you know the drill. You talk, or I kill him."

I looked at Eddie. I didn't want to let him die. I would do anything to stop that from happening, but I couldn't give up Dimitri and the others. Not only because it was Dimitri, but because keeping them safe was the only chance we had of winning this war.

I looked over to Christian for a moment, and he nodded. He was telling me to be strong and keep my mouth shut, no matter what happened, and I was telling him the same.

I thought I saw a small smile appear on Isaiah's face when he noticed our reluctance. He seemed almost pleased we were refusing to talk and effectively choosing Eddie to suffer. I understood why. He still had bodies left. He only needed one of us to talk.

I saw he was about to drink from Eddie again, no doubt taking everything this time, and I was about to abandon all my principles and scream what he wanted to know, to spare Eddie when we were interrupted by a third Snow Dragon. Isaiah seemed annoyed, and I could tell this was probably a gopher.

"What?" Isaiah snarled at the Dragon who landed next to him. It was almost comical to see that the large Dragon was afraid of Isaiah who in his human form seemed rather small. But the power radiating off of him, even in human form, left no doubt about who the more powerful creature was.

"I…I have information about the eastern front…Sir."

I saw Isaiah roll his eyes but walked away with the Snow Dragon none the less. They moved into the cabin and the gopher transformed in order to handle the human size map and the mark the wall.

Elena was following the two men inside and left us alone. With the binds and two of our men unconscious, it was a safe bet that we would stay put, but Christian and I looked at each other anyway, trying to come up with a solution to our predicament.

"Can you burn the ropes?" I asked hopefully to Christian.

He looked at me as if I was crazy. Of course he could burn the ropes. I probably could too. But he motioned towards our two unconscious brethren.

"I can't carry two unconscious Dragons and you on my back. Getting rid of the ropes doesn't help us if we can't flee."

Right, of course. Snow Dragons were fast. We needed to figure out how to get out of their reach. Unfortunately, I knew of only one way, and I think Christian had come to the same conclusion. They only way we would make it out of here alive is if we killed them. Now I had no problem taking the lives of these monsters, after all, that was the whole purpose of Christian's and my training. I just didn't like our odds.

"Well, at least they didn't take my weapon."

I saw Christian look and he did see my weapon strapped to my back. Only the tip of it was visible from my coat.

"They probably didn't even think about checking the 'human battle whore.'"

I looked foully at Christian both for calling me a whore, and for finding time in these dire circumstances to make a joke. But I suppose he was right. They didn't know I was trained to kill them and had the means to kill them. And that has to be our trump card.

I heard groaning come from Mason's now semi-conscious form. He looked around in a bit of panic and noticed he was tied up. He scanned Christian and me, and I saw relief on his face as he took in our unharmed states. The relief vanished when he turned to Eddie. I must admit it was a gruesome sight. His neck was coated in dried blood, and he looked very pale. Mason looked at me in alarm.

"He is alive. The Snow Dragon wanted to intimidate us, but he needs him alive… for now. Are you okay? Can you fight?"

He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck.

"I will have a killer headache for a day or two, but I am good."

I looked towards Mason and Christian.

"So here is the plan. Mason, you are going to carry Eddie and get as far away from here as possible. Find Dimitri and get him to safety. Christian and I will hold off the Snow Dragons for as long as we can."

I saw Mason physically recoil at my suggestion. I wonder what had him so wound up? The fact that I was putting myself in danger, that he didn't get to fight the Snow Dragons or that he felt responsible for putting us in this situation? Judging by the mixed expression on his face, it was all of the above.

"You can't be serious Rose; I am not letting you fight a battle I created."

I looked over to Christian, but I knew he agreed with me. Strategically it was the soundest plan.

"Look, Mason, someone needs to take care of Eddie, but even if the other two will fight the Snow Dragons, there could be a real chance we will die, and that the Snow Dragons will be coming after you anyway. They will be much faster than you, certainly when you are carrying Eddie. They think I am human, so I hope I can use that element of surprise to take at least one Snow Dragon down. So I have to stay. I can't fly or carry Eddie anyway. Then it comes down to you or Christian staying, and Christian is simply more experienced in fighting Snow Dragons. So the two of us staying, while you flee with Eddie and get him some medical attention as fast as you can, gives all four of us the largest chance to survive. Any other combination, and the odds plummet."

I saw he was thinking it over from every angle trying to come up with an argument against this plan, but there really wasn't one, and after a few moments he seemed to realize this too.

"Now come on Sparky, I can get my own ropes off, you take care of theirs."

Christian very skillfully let out a string of fire that he was able to bend around Mason and Eddie so he could burn their ropes. I had only ever seen a straight stream coming from his mouth, but at that moment I realized how skilled Christian really was.

"I have to leave Eddie with some, otherwise he will fall, and they will notice."

"That is fine, I can rip the last bit," Mason replied.

"Quick, Mason, pretend to be unconscious. They are coming back. And when we break loose, go immediately. Don't hesitate."

He nodded, but I saw the indecision in his eyes.

"Well, bad news for you Dragons. We have gained more ground on the eastern borders. Now all you have to do is tell me where your General is, and we will have won this war."

Not on my watch.

I quickly stood up and pulled my blade from my sheath. While all three of them were simply staring at me like I was crazy, and then bursting into laughter, Christian and Mason were able to transform. Mason took Eddie's human body in his claws, and took to the skies. Christian and I moved in between the Snow Dragons and Mason as he was flying off into the distance.

"You can't be serious."

I simply waved my sword around in front of him.

"Dead serious."

"Well you'll be dead soon" Isaiah snarled at me. Transforming into his very impressive Dragon size, his companions not far behind.

"Sir, do I need to intercept them?" The recruit that had provided the information about the front asked.

I saw Isaiah look to the skies and smile. I followed his gaze, and I could still see Mason. He wasn't very fast even with Eddie in human form. Maybe we did make a judgment in error. Christian would have been faster.

But it was too late now, we would have to protect them. The recruit flew into the sky after a nod from Isaiah, and Christian looked in panic towards Mason and Eddie.

"Go," I said with a steely determination I projected more than I felt.

The whole point was to save as many of us as possible. There were two Dragons there and only one hybrid here. Besides Christian shouldn't be long. I saw he was chasing the Snow Dragon and unleashing his flame, trying to trap him in it. It was a game of cat and mouse, except with huge ass creatures.

So that left me with Isaiah and Elena. Stall as much as you can Rose.

"So, if you beg me for your life, I might let you live," I said towards Isaiah pointing my sword at him.

He laughed again.

"You are funny human. I do hope you will live the longest of you four. I might even spare you if you tell me what I want to know."

"How about I tell you something you _need_ to know instead." Isaiah looked at me shrewdly but seemed curious. He knew I was stalling, but he didn't seem to care. In his mind, neither Christian nor I were a threat.

I felt deep inside myself and started to fan my own flame. I wasn't showing anything physical, yet but I was preparing myself to strike at a moment's notice. I coiled my muscles, I let the adrenaline fuel my body and I took off.

I was ducking underneath Elena, and hit her hind leg, making her stumble, and then I moved to Isaiah and used my blade to cut a scale on his shoulder. It had been somewhat close his neck, and he seemed very surprised I was able to get so close. Although Snow Dragons are faster than Fire Dragons, the element of surprise went a long way.

I let the flames engulf my hand and transfer to my blade. I saw his eyes widen in shock and realization.

"I am not a human, I am a hybrid and I will be the last thing you see in this world."

He seemed more annoyed at my revelation than anything else, and I must admit as he was charging me, and I could barely evade him, that he had skills to brag about. And to make matters worse, Elena was mixing in as well. Now I might have been able to take one of them down, but two of them? I could just stay out of their reach, and it was taking everything I had not to die. I was engaged with Elena and I knew that if Isaiah would attack now that I would be dead. I was waiting for the final blow, seeing him enter my field of vision.

Then all of a sudden I was only fighting Elena. Now still no easy task, but I was able to get in a few good hits and take a sneak peek at who my rescuer was, fully expecting Christian to have come back.

But it wasn't Christian. It was Mason. Mason looked at me with a goofy smile, when Isaiah was ready to strike. He should have never kept his eyes off of Isaiah.

It happened so fast. Isaiah moved like lighting. I froze. I knew that Dimitri said something about Snow Dragons being able to use their icy breath much like Fire Dragons breathed fire, but I doubt that was the source of my immobility now. How Elena didn't take that moment to take me out, I would never know. Maybe she wanted to see the spectacle. Although it wasn't a spectacle. It wasn't brutal or savage or bloody. It was simply that Mason was here one moment and the next he had left this world. The only sign of his demise the emptiness in his eyes and the slightly awkward angle of his neck.

It was almost funny, because it wasn't the fact I saw Mason die that was jump starting me into action again. It was when Isaiah threw him away like a ragdoll that got me out of my stupor and into a blind rage. The fire was no longer contained solely on my hands or sword; it had engulfed me.

Elena was charging me again, but she wasn't able to touch me because of the fire, and I simply evaded her punch, jumped and landed on that sweet spot on her back, glad Elena had been much smaller than Dimitri and I had practiced my own jumps a lot. I drove my sword and flame into her spine. When she fell lifeless on the ground, I noticed I must have overdone it a little. Her head was nearly completely severed from her spine, her head attached by a few tendons and a small piece of vertebrae in her neck.

I directed my eyes at Isaiah, and he seemed to have accepted the challenge. We charged each other. He was faster, but his bulky form made it harder for him to maneuver. Being small and agile did have its uses. But he had seen me jump on Elena's back, and the damage I had done afterwards, so he was determined not to expose himself there. But I had other plans. I didn't necessarily have to hit his spine. At one point I ducked underneath him, slicing open part of his belly. I heard him scream in agony as I both cut and burned him at the same time. He was frantically grasping for me underneath him, trying to put some of his gut back in. But I was already somewhere else. And when he finally looked my way, my sword connected with his snout. And I just kept hacking and hacking, until his screaming had died down.

His blood felt hot on my skin, and I found it strange that such an icy breed had warm blood. I would have thought their blood would have been as cold as them, I also somehow found it strange it was red as mine was. Somehow he and I having anything in common offended me.

After I made sure he was dead by hacking a few more times, until he head was completely severed from his body, I moved over to Mason. His body still felt warm, but I could no longer feel the internal flame within him. I cradled his large head in my lap and started to cry.


	33. Chapter 33

I know some of you wanted Mason to live. And I am sorry. But Mason's death is such an intricate part of VA that I couldn't in good continuance save him. Not only was it a forming moment in Rose's live, it was also the harsh reality of the world of Guardians.

DPOV

We got word from one of our scouts, and I moved towards the scene. Eddie was in his human form and looked like shit, which if I am to believe Christian was an improvement. Christian himself looked a little battered too.

When I asked Christian were Rose and Mason were, he pointed into the direction of a cabin. The look in his eyes didn't bode well, and I raced towards the cabin in panic.

I didn't quite understand the scene in front of me. There was blood everywhere, the deep red contrasting against the pristine white snow. There were two large bodies on the ground. One which I could still make out a head and neck and shoulder even if they weren't in their original composition. The other body though, was mangled up pretty bad. The only reason I knew it was a Snow Dragon was because his legs were still intact. The Dragon's belly was ripped open, his intestines spilling out. His head and neck were simply all over the place. Some of the pieces landing near, some of them far, and some of them… were on Rose.

It wasn't difficult to understand who had done this damage. The blade mark on the female was clearly from Rose's blade, and the brain splatter on Rose's coat told me she was also responsible for the larger Dragon's death.

But she didn't seem to register any of this. Because all she was doing was wailing and rocking Mason's lifeless Dragon head back and forth.

Christian had filled us in on what happened. Mason and Eddie went in search of this cabin to fight Snow Dragons, Rose and Christian went to stop them when they encountered trouble.

"Rose, we need to get you somewhere warm."

At the sound of my voice she looked up, but she didn't seem to recognize me. All she saw was a threat. She was still in battle mode.

"Get away from him. Don't hurt him."

"Roza, it's me. It is over. Come with me."

"No, I have to protect him."

"You did."

I moved a little closer and extended my hand.

"Come on Roza, let the others prepare him."

She held onto him tighter, but when she put his head back down on her lap and looked at me, I saw she was aware of the situation again. I moved over to her and laid my body down next to her and Mason's. I curled around her, trying to shield her from the horrors of this world. She held my snout and started crying again.

I wrapped a claw around her, and I pulled her close as two others were taking Mason away from her.

The other's looked at the scene.

"She did this? To two of them, with that itty bitty sword?"

I would have laughed if the situation wasn't so morbid. I knew Rose would be an amazing fighter, but this was beyond what I had expected. I would have preferred her to lose her innocence in battle in another way than this, but was what done was done, and she had singlehandedly finished our mission for us.

According to Christian, the cabin was a relay station and it was where this Isaiah was gathering intel. By killing Isaiah and destroying the cabin, we rendered the Snow Dragons blind north of the border. With their leader gone and no way to relay information, our main troops would be able to finish them off.

There was still a war to fight, but the fight was no longer in this deserted place filled with death and silence. We would get to go home.

"We need to move back to the border. Luckily it means we can fly back, making the trip much shorter. Someone will need to carry Eddie, and we will need to find a place where he can get medical attention and where we can rest and regroup and report back to other squads."

Stan moved forward.

"I know someone just a few leagues south of the border. He will take us in, and we can contact people from there."

I nodded and instructed Stan to make arrangements and lead the way. He seemed to have realized I would be occupied with other tasks at the moment.

"What do we do with him?"

Stan motioned towards Mason lifeless body as he was carefully being handled. I was torn. On the one hand, I didn't want even his ashes in this place. It seemed wrong that this would be his last resting place. But on the other hand, his lifeless body was simply too big to carry.

"Burn him. Perhaps he will provide some peace for this place."

Dragons didn't have burial rituals like humans did, which always seemed strange to me. Humans lived much shorter lives than we did, and death was a much bigger thing for Dragons because of it. But I suppose humans would need a physical reminder of someone so even after a few generations they knew that they had existed. Dragons simply remembered, so a physical token was not necessary.

Rose stirred in my grasp at the mention of us cremating Mason here. Her pleading eyes told me she didn't agree. But there simply wasn't anything else I could do.

"Just like Arthur remember? His soul has crossed over; his body must remain here."

She turned around towards Mason's body. A few others had prepared a nice snow-free spot and made him a makeshift bed, or casket as the case was. I saw Rose look at him in horror, but she didn't make a move to stop the Dragon who unleashed his flame on his body.

But never in my life will I forget the sound of her cries as his body burned.

We were off after that. Rose was still covered in gore, but that was something we would have to remedy once we got south of the border again.

It was a long flight, but we were all eager to make it home tonight and to sleep in a warm bed by a nice fire. Rose had cried herself asleep on my back, the silence a welcome reprieve from her wailing if only for a moment.

I jostled her awake a few minutes before we arrived. She rubbed her eyes and sat up, looking around. I could feel her physical relief as she noticed there was no longer snow, and the mountains were behind us.

We followed Stan towards an inn. We must have been quite the sight, an army of Dragons approaching the human-sized inn. But the clearing in front of the inn was large enough and was flattened nicely, almost like it served the purpose of a landing strip for Dragons.

A Dragon in human form came outside, and we all transformed into our human forms. Obviously we would be staying in the inn tonight, and the place simply couldn't hold so many Dragons. I sat Rose down first before transforming myself.

Stan was first to approach, and I could tell the innkeeper was elated to see him. They embraced in a surprisingly intimate display of affection.

I saw Rose look at the two men trying to piece it together. It was a nice distraction from the crying. She looked the innkeeper over, perhaps trying to see if they were related, but there was no family resemblance. The moment when the truth hit her was hilarious. She turned to me and pointed discreetly.

"Is he?"

I chuckled.

"I believe that is Stan's partner, yes. I never met him. Stan is very private about his personal life."

I saw a few others share Rose's reaction, but most of us knew Stan was gay. He never willingly told us. Not because he was ashamed or anything of the sort; he simply thought his personal life was irrelevant when on the job. And I would have to agree. Your preferences in the field of romance have no bearing on your ability to perform in the military.

"Come on Rose, let's get you into a nice hot bath."

She looked down at herself, almost as though she had forgotten she was covered in blood and gore.

"There is a lake a few miles that way if you want to bath as Dragons, but it is very cold at the moment. Otherwise, I will prepare baths inside. Also by the look of it, you will all need some fresh clothes. My name is Lee, if you need anything don't hesitate to ask," the innkeeper said, and motioned us inside. He particularly raised an eyebrow at Rose.

"I'll have a maid fill her bath and bring some cleaning cloths. I'll also see about finding her some clothes," he said to me, with a gentle and concerned look directed at Rose.

"Thank you."

He said a few words towards one of the maids, and she motioned us to come with her up the stairs. She led us towards a large room with a giant twin bed. I raised an eyebrow, but I suppose Lee had guessed my attachment to Rose, and that I would be staying here as well.

The maid started to bring buckets of warm water towards the tub. I had her fill some bowls first and asked for plenty of cleaning cloths. If Rose got in the bathtub now, the water would be red in an instant.

Rose was looking around the room, although I doubted she was seeing much. She wasn't crying anymore, but after the short reprieve of seeing Stan's partner, she was turned inside herself again.

I started taking off her clothes. The maid was on her last bucket filling the bath and after she left the room. I was on Rose's last undergarment, and after I removed the smeared and bloodied piece of clothing, I looked her over. The blood had soaked all the way through her clothes, and it was stuck to her skin.

I put one of the cleaning cloths in the bowl of water and put some soap on the cloths before gently washing Rose. I was glad that even if there was nothing sexual about this, she seemed to find comfort in my attentions. She leaned into my hand and closed her eyes. Other than a single tear escaping her eyes, she was calm and relaxed. The water in the bowl had turned a deep red, so I replaced the water and continued. After the third bowl, I thought she was clean enough to take a bath.

"Come on Rose, into the bath you go."

"Are you going to join me?" Any other time Rose said it, it would have sounded sultry and inviting. Now it sounded pleading and desperate. She didn't want to be alone.

"I can't fit with you in the tub, but I'll stay with you."

It seemed to be enough to calm her down and make her move toward the bath. She dipped her toe in, feeling the temperature of the water. She deemed it worthy, and slowly sank herself into the warm water. I saw her instantly relax. The warmth of the water was fueling her own fire, and I could feel the cold from the north leave her body.

She leaned back and let her head rest on the edge of the tub. I folded my large form behind her, and started to wash her face and hair to get rid of the last of the grime. I was massaging her scalp and shoulders. I was hoping she would talk to me. Anything about what was going on inside of her, but she didn't speak. I didn't think she meant to shut me out; I just think she was feeling a million things at once, and was sorting through those things first before she could even talk about it.

I wondered how Eddie was doing. I knew he had suffered severe blood loss, but with rest and some medical aid he should be fine. Maybe once he was awake they could talk about Mason? I think it would help Rose.

"There, all clean again."

She looked down at her naked body then she held her hand in front of her eyes. She slowly turned it around seeming almost surprised it was no longer covered in blood.

She got up from the tub, and I handed her a big towel, and she wrapped herself in it. She looked me up and down, and I realized I was naked. We had flown here in our Dragon forms, and I hadn't put on any clothes since we arrived. I think the maid must be accustomed to Dragons because she didn't bat an eye.

"I'll wash a little too, and then we can go to sleep. Why don't you dry and crawl under the furs where it is warm."

She obeyed and snuggled under the furs. The room was actually quite warm, there was a small fireplace where a pleasant fire was warming the room. Fire Dragons were warm by nature because of our internal flame. But it was a nice change from all the snow and cold in the north. Somehow it was the kind of cold even I couldn't chase away from my bones.

After washing myself with a bowl and cloth, because there was no way I would be able to fit in that tub, I dried myself, lifted the blankets and crawled into bed next to Rose. She pressed her naked body against mine in search of comfort, and I tried my best to provide it.

"Talk to me Roza, please let me in."

She looked up at me, and I saw she was on the verge of tears again. I gently stroked her cheek, but I could not prevent the waterfall of tears erupting from her eyes.

"It's my fault," she wailed as she buried her face in my chest.

At first, I didn't think I heard her right. How was any of this her fault? If anything, her actions saved Eddie.

"What do you mean? None of this was your fault."

"He came back for me. He was supposed to leave and take Eddie to safety, but he saw I was in trouble, and he came back for me. He died because of me."

I pulled her closer to me, and gently stroked her back as her body was convulsing with sobs.

"Oh, no sweety. Mason made his own choices. He made the choice to go to the cabin with just Eddie and himself. He made the decision to come back, probably because he felt responsible. But it was his choice. You and Christian did what you could, and you saved Eddie because of it."

She shook her head from side to side, disagreeing with me.

"I wanted to protect Mason and Eddie. I had hoped we would have been fast enough to stop them altogether and then they wouldn't have been in trouble. But I should have warned you. I should have told you they were gone. We should have all gone together. Mason would be in serious trouble, but he would have been alive."

"You don't know that. And Isaiah might not have landed there if he had seen a squad of Dragons around the cabin and he might still be controlling the North. No matter how it turned out, the current events will save lives."

"Just not his."

"No, but he knew the risks. He knew what he was getting into when he signed up. He knew the dangers when he and Eddie took off, and he knew his chances when he came back to help you. And for the last part, I will always be grateful to him."

I didn't know if she eventually agreed with me or if she was just too tired to argue, but she didn't say anything else and eventually her small sobs made way for sleep.

I had stayed awake most of the night, keeping a close eye on Rose. She had stirred a few times, with what I could only assume were bad dreams of the incident, but she had remained asleep. Sleep is the best way to process these kinds of things. Being tired and emotional never bodes well, so a good rest, to process the events and to sort out your emotions was always welcome. Furthermore, the more often she slept, the faster time went, and the more time passed between the incident and the present, so the more that wound would heal.

I had eventually fallen asleep myself and woke up to an empty bed. I looked around the room in panic, but relaxed a little when I saw Rose sitting in front of the fireplace with a blanket wrapped around her.

The fire in the fireplace was dancing gracefully and occasionally leaping out of its confines and stretched out towards her. It seemed to be soothing her. I had seen something similar after she had killed Viktor. All Fire Dragons had a deep connection to the flame, but I didn't realize until this moment how deep hers went. It must have been excruciating to be blocked from it for nearly eighteen years.

She let the flames whirl around her hand and her fingers; she was stroking the flames as much as they were caressing her. The playfulness of the flames seemed to be designed to make her laugh and by the small smile gracing her lips they were succeeding.

I sat next to her near the flames but didn't say anything. I just observed her. The little speckles of fire moved from her hands to mine and started their peculiar dance on my skin. She seemed to have convinced them to mock me because they were running across my arms and shoulders always a little out of my reach. I heated my skin and let my own flame chase them away. I saw them returning to their mistress almost in fear of me. But Rose chuckled, and crooned to the little flames and sent them back to their origins in the fireplace.

"We should head downstairs for some breakfast," I said as I stood up and gathered my clothes.

The fact she didn't immediately jump up and mow me over trying to get downstairs at the promise of food was alarming, but she did put on some fresh clothes, and headed downstairs. She had a way to go before she was her bubbling self again, but I knew she would be alright now. The image of her holding Mason's lifeless body was still freshly ingrained in my memory, and with it the fear she would never recover from something like that. Now I knew she would be alright, I just didn't know how long it would take her.


	34. Chapter 34

RPOV

I didn't say much other than respond to a few questions from Dimitri and others. 'Did you sleep well?', 'What do you want for breakfast?', 'Are the clothes I provided satisfactory?'

I tried to be polite and answer them all, but I was having a hard time simply being around people right now. All of them had this look in their eyes, including Dimitri, that if they asked the wrong question or said the wrong thing I would break. All but one.

I moved over to Eddie. He still looked pale, but he was looking a lot better than yesterday. He had been on the brink of death yesterday. I sat down next to him. He was staring into the fire. I wasn't sure if he was even aware of my presence when he spoke.

"You know what they are calling him?" Eddie asked, not looking up from his mug that was probably as full as when he was handed the thing.

I shook my head. The motion was large enough so Eddie could see, even if he was still staring down into the liquid.

"Mason the Foolish. He finally got his nickname, and they gave him that!"

Eddie seemed to be enraged but lacked the strength right now to be very passionate about it, so he just sounded flat. But I could understand his feelings. Mason was shooting for something more flattering. He was shooting for something heroic. And no doubt that was what he had in mind when he and Eddie took off towards that cabin. But he had ended up with Foolish. Not Mason the Awesome, or Mason the Brave, but Mason the Foolish. Although I shared Eddie's rage, the nickname wasn't entirely inaccurate. He had been foolish. Foolish to go, and foolish to have come back for me.

"They dubbed me Eddie the Lucky. Because apparently surviving an attack from a Snow Dragon while being unconscious and fed from is unheard off. Funny, I don't feel lucky."

Eddie was scoffing. His tone reflected humor, but his voice was empty of any emotion.

Nickname picking was rarely a conscious thing for Dragons. It wasn't like there had been a conclave where they had debated an accurate nickname. One of them probably had called Mason foolish at one point, and Eddie lucky, and they had stuck. But it would stick for the rest of their lives.

I almost laughed at my own thought. Mason's life was over. He didn't have to hear this.

"How are you holding up?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"I am okay. Weak and tired, but I'll be okay… physically."

I grabbed his hand in mine and squeezed. It seemed to have been enough for him to break down in sobs. I moved over to him and hugged him. Taking as much comfort from him as I was giving him.

"I was unconscious and out of the way when he died. I was useless. I should have stopped him from going; I should have made him turn back. I failed him. I failed my best friend. I was still unconscious when they burned him. I wasn't even there at his funeral."

He was sobbing into my shoulders, blubbering tears, and snot all over my fresh clothes. I had been conscious when they burned him, but not with a very present mindset. I remember screaming, but my voice had sounded so very far away as if it wasn't my own. My body had seemed to violently react to his death, yet my mind was numb and could only stare at the flames consuming my friend.

But as he was pouring his heart out to me, I realized maybe Dimitri was right. I was blaming myself, Eddie was blaming himself, but in the end, Mason made his choices. And I knew if I had to convince Eddie of that, at least in part I had to believe it too. I took a deep breath and pulled him from my embrace.

"I feel guilty too. He came back for me. He wanted to save me from Isaiah. If he had stuck to the plan, he would still be alive. But I realize Mason probably felt guilty for dragging us into it. You and me and Christian, I don't think he could have lived with the idea of any one of us dying because of his choices. Unfortunately, it cost him his life."

Eddie wiped his nose with the back of his hand. He didn't seem particularly convinced, but he did stop crying.

"It is just that he wanted to do so much more with his life. He had big dreams, and now he will never get to live those. He had so much potential, and now because of one mistake, he is gone."

It was a hard lesson to learn for all of us. War meant you didn't get second chances. You fight, or you die. I don't think until that moment I realized just how devastating war could be for the victors. Even if you survived, how many of your friends or squad members would have died? Will this change me? Maybe we all die in war, yet some of us are reborn in battle as people with a lot fewer friends and a lot more scars.

After breakfast, Dimitri and I headed back upstairs. He wasn't necessarily hovering, but I knew that if I hadn't just watched a friend die and hacked off the heads of two Snow Dragons, he would probably be downstairs discussing the particulars of our next mission. But as it were, he was leaving most of the arrangements up to Stan.

I sat down on a chair next to the fire. Dimitri took the chair opposite me.

"War sucks," I pouted.

He chuckled.

"Yes, it does. But sometimes it is necessary."

"Did you ever… lose someone?"

He looked up at the ceiling when I asked my question, and a sad expression came to his eyes. Part of it made me feel connected to Dimitri that he would be able to understand what I was going through, but part of me felt disappointed. It meant that I would probably always remember what happened to Mason and always be sad about it.

"I think everyone has. It almost feels like a rite of passage, but that is the reality of war. We are all fighters, and we all know what we are getting ourselves into, but it does mean that attachments inside the military are hard, because you never know if you are ever going to see that person again."

"Who was it for you?" I asked.

"Ivan. He was my best friend growing up. We went through training together, and for almost two hundred years we were thick as thieves. A few decades ago we were fighting Snow Dragons, and he died. I was in a different squad at the time and wasn't there when he died. I never forgave myself for that. I knew I probably wouldn't have been able to prevent his death; I would have probably died with him if I had been there. But I still felt responsible for it. We did everything together, yet he died alone."

I saw Dimitri was trying hard to compose himself, probably for my benefit, but I didn't want him to hide his feelings from me.

"So, Roza, I know how you feel. I blamed myself for Ivan's death for a long time. But I realize now that there was nothing I could have done. And only by living my life and remembering him and what he stood for, am I keeping his spirit alive."

"I know. It is just one thing for my head to know, it still needs to convince my heart. Because all I can see is him distracting Isaiah in hopes of saving me before Isaiah killed him."

I broke down into sobs again as the images flooded my mind, his lifeless eyes staring at me in blame. Dimitri rushed over to me and pulled me towards him. I listened to his heart, needing the reassurance that he was still here and that part of my world still existed. That I had a reason to live.

The next few days, my sobs had diminished, and I seemed to be able to breathe again. Don't get me wrong, Mason's face still haunted me and sometimes I was wailing against Dimitri screaming at any God that would listen why they had to be so cruel, but those episodes were getting farther in between, and at least I didn't dream about the incident as much.

Eddie seemed to improve as well. Physically he was almost back to being himself. Emotionally he was able to enjoy at least some time with the others again. They had made a point of including him in conversations and activities. It was nice to see that even though Eddie and Mason had been new to the squad, they were making a real effort to include Eddie and give him some grounding.

We all settled in nicely in the inn. After the first few hours of awkwardness and shock of seeing Stan affectionate towards anyone, we all accepted that Lee was part of this family too as they had accepted me.

We were almost beginning to relax when the order came to move towards a small town east of us. The main forces had been winning there, but several Snow Dragons had gotten away, and we were now expected to round them up and take them out. I suppose this little reprieve was over and we were back to reality, back to war.

Dimitri was conversing heavily with some of the senior members of his squad as I took it upon myself to pack our bags. Dimitri might be fine in his Dragon form being completely naked, but I needed clothes. In the late afternoon, we were all ready to go.

Part of me dreaded another mission. I didn't want to lose another person, but part of me was grateful for the distraction and the action. Being in battle or on the verge of, meant I had to focus on that and little else. In the end, we were at war, and my distraction could cause someone else their life.

The rest of them transformed and stood in front of the inn ready to depart. I climbed on Dimitri's back and clenched my thighs against him to support myself. With a strong push of his wings down towards the earth we took to the skies. I had almost forgotten how good it felt to fly with Dimitri. I hadn't registered much of it on the way here, and before that, we had been in human form for over a week. The feel of the air across my skin, the feel of speed as Dimitri's wings carried across great distances. This is what freedom felt like, and even though I was conscious of the fact Mason could never experience that again, I would enjoy it for the both of us instead of denying myself this feeling of pure bliss.

We landed a few hours later in an open field, close to a cabin and a lake in the forefront of a mountain range. We were a few miles away from the village where the sightings had come from as not to be noticed. I saw the other Dragons settle in for the night near the lake. Dimitri changed back to human and put on some clothes.

"I thought we could stay in the cabin tonight." He motioned towards the structure behind him. The place looked abandoned but sturdy enough and I did prefer an actual building compared to the open air. Must have been my human upbringing. Also, I think my Comrade might have an ulterior motive for making sure we had some privacy.

"I am not sure. I am beginning to like the fresh open air. Maybe we should stay here tonight," I said with a smile on my face, trying to pull his leg. But I saw his face fall in disappointment. The last few days we hadn't had a chance to be intimate, you know with me balling my eyes out, but I was beginning to get back to normal, or at least a new normal and I would like to have some alone time with my man.

I moved over towards him and traced my finger down his chest and purred at him seductively.

"But for the right motivation, I might be persuaded to spend the night in the cabin."

His disappointed face lit up with excitement, then lust, and then he was dragging me towards the cabin. With Dimitri's long strides I had to actually jog a little to keep up.

He practically kicked in the door and threw me on the bed. His lips were on mine a second later. It started out rough and passionate, but it ended sweet. Once the most immediate urge to kiss had been satiated, he pulled back and gently started kissing and caressing me. And it was just what I needed.

His strong hands with long rough fingers were stroking my skin underneath my shirt, moving towards my binds. There was something to be said about Dragons always being naked. Dimitri took his time undressing me and kissing every newly exposed skin. He was already naked so I didn't have to waste time on doing the same to him and Dimitri seemed to be using that extra time to focus on me. Oh darn.

My pants first, then my binds followed, and I was completely naked before him. He took in my appearance. It wasn't just in blatant lust, but he also seemed to determine if I had changed; if the events of the past few days had scarred me almost in a physical manner. I didn't sustain many injuries when fighting Isaiah, but that wasn't what Dimitri was looking for. He seemed to be looking into my soul, hoping to see his Roza in there; hoping I hadn't let Mason's death drag me under.

He seemed to like what he saw because his smile grew and he bent down. First I thought he was going to kiss me, but he moved lower. Then I thought he was going to kiss my breasts, but he moved even lower. When his tongue made contact with my clit, I gasped. He had touched me there, but he hadn't kissed me there yet. And the feeling was amazing.

I spread my legs a little more, giving him better access and placed my hands in his hair, trying to pull him closer. He lapped at my clit and core, alternating between long and short strokes, between hard and soft ones. Occasionally he would thrust his tongue inside. The combination of so many different sensations alternating was driving me crazy. His actions increased in intensity as my moans grew louder.

I noticed Dimitri too was getting a little excited. He had moved his hands in-between his legs and was starting to stimulate himself. There was something incredibly sexy about Dimitri losing control and having to touch himself simply because he was pleasuring me. It was that thought that drove me over the edge. He was able to control himself long enough to gently bring me down before he slammed into me with a loud groan. There was no gentleness after that. It was simple, hard coupling as I was super sensitive from my earlier orgasm and was desperate to experience that again and Dimitri was already on edge after his own hand job.

It was a good thing we were a bit away from the others. There was no way they wouldn't have heard us if we had still been at the inn. As a matter of fact, they might still hear us. I didn't know what was louder; our moans, occasional scream or grunt, the fact the rickety bed was almost falling apart and slamming into the wall time and time again, or the sound our bodies made as they collided together over and over again. It wasn't long before we peaked together. I felt him unleash himself deep inside of me, and I clenched and squeezed his cock hard, trying to keep it here. The orgasm seemed to last forever as we kept riding each other until finally he deflated and I let go long enough for him to pull out. Panting loudly I was lying on his chest, just trying to get back to a normal breathing rhythm.

I had needed that. One moment of normalcy and intimacy, to know I could still enjoy life, that I was able to be happy and content if only for a moment, despite the fact that one of my friends had left this world and his ashes were scattered in the wind in some desolate endless snowy void.

"Tomorrow we will search the area for any signs of Snow Dragons. Stan has heard from the main command that they suspect some have fled to this region. Activity has been high, almost as if they have a base here," Dimitri said as he leisurely stroked my back. His words were business, but his hands tried to stay in our little bubble a bit longer.

"Are they fleeing or do they have a new leader?"

He sighed.

"I doubted Isaiah was the only one. There were too many Snow Dragons to be controlled by just one leader. I suspect Isaiah ran the North. What upsets me is that based on the reports we received from main command, these Dragons seem to know the area. This is too far from the border to have been scouted in the recent past. It means that at least one of them has infiltrated our lands for a lot longer."

The thought was terrifying. Snow Dragons stood out, even in human form. For a Snow Dragon to have gone unnoticed for so long means this Dragons was very smart and patient. That combination in a Snow Dragon was very dangerous.

"So now what?" I unconsciously snuggled a little closer towards Dimitri. He tightened his grip on me a bit.

"Tomorrow I will teach you how to track. Maybe I'll take Eddie too. He hasn't had much experience with tracking. It is a more on the job kind of thing. Once we pick up the trail of one, we can discuss and plan of engagement."


	35. Chapter 35

DPOV

In the morning I discussed plans and directions with Stan. Rose, Eddie and I would move towards the town, check the surrounding forest and see if we could find out anything from the locals. Even if humans didn't know that Snow Dragons existed or that they could shift to human, they might have seen strange things. Most humans did have a sense about Dragons in general. They somehow saw us as 'other' or strange, even if they couldn't quite put their finger on it. The information main command got must have come from somewhere.

In turn, Stan and a handful of our squad would scout the forest on the other side of the lake, leading away from the town and towards the mountains for tracks.

Once done with the logistics, I moved back to Rose's side. Although she had been quiet around most of the other members of the squad since Mason's death, I was happy to notice she was having a conversation with Meredith now and by the small smile on her face, the topic was light.

I sat down next to her for breakfast but didn't break into their conversation. I merely let my hand brush the small of her back in support. Slowly but surely, Rose was getting back on her feet.

After breakfast, we packed and moved towards our designated areas for tracking. We were all in human form. It was much easier tracking when being six foot tall instead of sixty. We tended to eradicate any tracks by simply stepping on them or breaking trees, that covered the tracks. Even in the military training, we were taught to track as human. My instructor had said that in his eyes it was the only advantage of being able to shift to human. Clearly he had never had sex while human. There are simply so many more positions and things you could try with a limber human body as opposed to the bulky Dragon form. Coupling there mostly consisted of mounting from the back. Although very pleasurable, it wasn't very creative. Just one more reason Rose had given me for liking my human form.

I lead Eddie and Rose into the forest. The sun was on our side today and illuminated the ground even through the canopy of leaves. The forest was dense, and I already deduced that if Snow Dragons passed through here, they either flew overhead, but would had to have done it during the night, not to be seen, or they were in human form on foot.

"Look for anything that doesn't belong. A foreign object, an odd branch, or a disturbance in the ground."

I saw Rose nearly roll her eyes. She thought my instructions were so obvious, but silently she averted her gaze to the ground and started searching. Eddie seemed eager to start, and I saw him staring at the ground so intensely, I was afraid he would set it on fire and destroy any tracks.

"Found something!" Rose even lifted her hand in the air as if she were in school. I chuckled. I was glad some of that playfulness was still there.

She pointed towards the ground, and I could see a bit of loose dirt surrounded by more flattened soil. I crouched down and Eddie and Rose were hovering over my shoulder, watching me inspect the dirt.

"The ground is freshly split. This could mean an animal or a person has come through recently. We are going towards a small town, and most people will approach it from the other side, so traffic from this side will be light. It rained two days ago, so the ground would have been soaked and evened out then. This means that someone, or something, has come by here in the last few days, taking a rather illogical route getting to the village."

Rose jumped up in the air, with her hands raised in triumph.

"Damn, first try and I track those damn bastards. Three cheers for me."

I shook my head, but couldn't help the small smile tugging at my lips.

"Actually you are tracking an animal. By the looks of it a small deer, probably female. See the imprint isn't deep enough to be human? Whoever made this imprint wasn't heavier than one-hundred pounds, I estimate. Also, if we look around, we see more of these kind of tracks scattered around, the trail leads on the road and off the road again, but in a single direction. An animal would have no use for a road, and would likely not follow its logic."

Rose lowered her arms and put her hands on her hips, looking a little annoyed.

"But you did find tracks. Good job." Now she did roll her eyes at my pathetic attempt to praise her.

"So we are looking for deeper imprints then?" Eddie asked, trying to analyze each thing that I said.

"And in a pattern suggesting more intelligent behavior?"

I nodded.

"Not just imprints though. They could have covered their tracks on the ground. Usually, people forget about the damage they do to branches and other plants. Even if the ground seems undisturbed, you can look for broken branches or trampled plants. Those are a lot harder to cover up than simply wiping the ground. Also, a broken branch wouldn't be fixed by rain, so it is a more permanent feature to track, but that also means it is harder to determine the timeline. Although the amount of sap leaking from the branch, and the state of healing from the tree, can tell you something about that. Let's see if we can find something else."

Eddie immediately returned to his task. Maybe he was taking this a little too seriously.

We made our way into the town. So far we had seen a few odd things, but nothing conclusive. I would have to see if the others were having more luck. But for now, we would move onto a different kind of tracking. Interrogating humans.

"A good place to start if you want to gather information is the pub. Most travelers will stop by the pub, and drunk people tend to talk a lot."

We walked towards the local pub, and I was mindful of everyone around me. I wanted to see if they reacted to strangers. If many strangers come past this town, they wouldn't give us a second thought, but if travelers were rare, we would be met with curiosity. If Snow Dragons had come by here, I suspected we would be met with vigilance and probably fear.

The town folk didn't seem to pay us any mind though, which was both reassuring as well as disappointing. The town seemed to have stayed safe in the war, and it hadn't encountered Snow Dragons yet. But somehow we had gotten information from this place about sightings. Who had provided that information? And although the people in town were going around their business, I felt ill at ease. I could feel us being watched, but I couldn't pinpoint who was watching us. It sent chills down my spine.

We stepped into the pub, and I walked up to the bar gesturing for Rose and Eddie to take a seat. We ordered three ales so we could blend in. I didn't engage with anybody yet. I was first scouting the place and getting the lay of the land.

"First you have to observe. Find your target. The bartenders are usually chatty and hear most rumors, but also other travelers can be a good source of information about the area around the village and route leading in and out of town. Also, regulars tend to have much information."

I looked around the room and discreetly pointed at a man sitting in a chair by the fire.

"For instance, that man is a regular. The way his chair is angled means he has a clear view of what is going on. Any disturbance or strange things he will have seen."

"How do you know he is a regular?" Eddie asked.

I motioned towards his chair and mug.

"The indent in the chair means the chair has morphed around him. That doesn't happen overnight. The same with his mug. The handle shines more than the rest of it, indicating it has been touched more. The other mugs around the tavern have a large pattern around the handle. So it means many different people have held the cup, the cup has been held in many different ways by many different sized hands. So the overall wear and tear isn't specifically located. The cup the man is holding only shines directly where he is holding it. The man has been sitting in that chair and drinking out of that mug for years."

Eddie seemed impressed, Rose was just starring across the room trying to find a similar pattern seeing if she could determine anything from the tavern's patrons without actually speaking to them.

She pointed towards a man in a cape. I could clearly see his face and his skin was pink and his eyes blue, so no Snow Dragon, but I agreed the man stood out. I wondered what Rose had picked up on?

"His cape has mud on the end. The rest of these people's capes are clean. That is strange right?"

I nodded. It was a good observation.

"Likely the man is coming from the West. It has been raining there a lot, and he probably has been mucking around mud for a while. But that does make him a traveler, and therefore he might have valuable information. Nicely caught Rose."

"So now what? We go up to them and ask them questions? Have you seen white monsters who will eat your children?"

"No, you engage. You ask him about his trip. Try to find some common ground. You could use some charm and gently coerce some information out of them."

Rose hmphed in the chair and crossed her arms.

"You mean I have to seduce them. Plaster on a nice smile and lower my shirt a little, is that it? Comrade?"

I hadn't thought about it. I had merely meant, don't be threatening. And although I didn't want Rose to do any of that stuff, I must admit it would probably work. For me getting information from women was always easier because I would just gently smile and they would tell me anything. I would imagine Rose's smile, and a wiggle of her hips, could get us just about any information we wanted.

"No. Not at all. Don't even think about it. Just talk to someone. Be nice."

She shrugged and walked towards the traveler. She sat down next to him and smiled genuinely at him. He immediately responded, and I could see that she had him engaging in a conversation pretty soon. I moved towards the man in the chair. Of course, it had nothing to do with him being somewhat close to the traveler, so I could keep an eye on Rose and listen in on their conversation.

I tasked Eddie with talking to the bartender.

The man in the chair was nice enough, and talked about how long his family had lived here. I asked simple questions about the town, not delving into any weird things going on just yet. But the entire time we were talking, I could have sworn someone was watching me again. I scanned the room, but I couldn't find the culprit. Eventually, I asked the man if he had seen any strange travelers passing through town and all he did was point at Rose, Eddie and myself. I chuckled and bid the man a good day before returning to my original seat at the bar.

Rose came over a few minutes later and relayed some general information about other towns and the surrounding forest she had gotten from the traveler, but no information that was actually useful to us.

"Well that was utterly useless," Rose said as we walked out of town.

"The man just kept whining and whining about his ruined socks due to the rain. It was hard keeping that smile on my face." As a way of proving her point, she started to rub her cheeks, as if they were sore from all the fake smiling.

"Rose. Information is never useless. And you learned something today. That is important too. Gathering information can be a slow process, but it is necessary. Going into battle without all the information can be dangerous, and you should avoid it whenever you can."

Both Eddie's and Rose's face fell. That was the lesson they had learned from Mason. His impatience had gotten him killed in the end. If he had waited one more day, for one more scouting trip, we probably would have been able to figure out it was a relay station. I don't know how the rest would have turned out, but Mason would probably still be alive. But fate had a way of happening no matter what you did, so he might still have ended up dead.

"The bartender didn't have anything either. He said some strangers had come by before us, but he hadn't seen anything worth noticing. And it was a woman with a man. He said she was quite pretty. He hadn't gotten a good look at the man. I doubted those would have been Snow Dragons though."

No human would think Snow Dragons are pretty. Even in human form, their eyes are red and their skin pale. They would be devoid of life. Even if the features of a person could be attractive, the overall picture was one of horror.

"But according to main command, there have been sightings, right? So somebody must have seen something?" Rose was right. The reports had to have come from somewhere.

"Let's get back to camp and see if the other's have had more luck." I tried not to let Rose and Eddie see my unease, but I was starting to get a bad feeling about this mission.

Back at camp, Stan had little more information. He found one large broken branch high in a tree, which might have been broken off by somebody's Dragon form. Or it could have been a bear. Stan sent word to main command of our findings, or lack thereof, and for the rest, all we could do was wait and keep searching.

"So did you ever have to torture information out of somebody?"

Rose sat down next to me. She was wiggling her eyebrows seemingly a little excited.

"I wouldn't call it torture. But I may have threatened a human or two. Usually, that is more than enough. One time, I had to punch a guy and hold him off his feet in the air before he spilled the beans. But usually, humans aren't the issue. Just put a few cups of ale in them, and they will sing whatever song you want them to sing. Getting information from Dragons is usually a little harder."

"How so?"

"Well for starters, they tend to hold their ale better." This made Rose laugh.

"Mostly, it is sufficient for me to reveal my rank and that I am doing the Queen's work and they talk."

She looked towards the fire.

"Ever had to torture a Snow Dragon?"

I shook my head.

"Getting information from Snow Dragons is impossible. Their sheer pride and arrogance will prevent them from talking. Besides, it is hard to control such a strong creature. You are better off killing it as soon as possible and trying to get that information in another way. They have no love for each other, so they will rat each other our in a heartbeat. But submitting to someone? Acknowleding that someone has any sort of power of them? That, they will not allow. I can't imagine what could make them talk."

"Got it. Humans; good for flirting and information. Snow Dragons; good for killing, and with Fire Dragons, I just have to mention your name and rank and we are good."

I laughed as I pulled her close. It was a bit of a simplifaction, but generally, she wasn't wrong. And with Rose's keen sense of observation and charm, she could probably make Tatiana spill the beans about her secret stash of human cigarettes she has in her chambers, that nobody is supposed to know about.

"So tomorrow we will try again? We take a different route to town?"

I nodded.

"I was thinking of letting you track the foothill of the mountain. The displacement of rocks can make very interesting patterns to show us what happened in the last few days. It would be worth exploring."

She leaned against me and started to rub my thigh a little.

"You and I have a very different idea of interesting, Comrade."

Rose's eyes wiggled a little bit, but after a moment they started to track a form behind me. Her eyes lost the sparkle of mischief and instead, I could see worry in her eyes. I saw Eddie move from behind us and towards his sleeping spot and Rose's eyes kept following him.

"He seemed very serious today. Not that today wasn't meant to be serious or anything. I just thought he sounded a bit… obsessive."

I looked at Eddie a few moments more, before I turned back to Rose.

"It happens. Some people dive into their work. I think it is easier for him to focus on this than on Mason. He is trying to keep his mind busy. As long as he learns something and he doesn't overdo it too much, he should be fine. But I will keep an eye out."

She leaned into me and sighed. Even when Rose was barely holding onto herself at times, it was testimony to her protective nature that she was looking out for Eddie. Rose has always been very protective. I had seen it with Lissa. She was willing to risk being beaten again by that idiot human, but she had to get back to her friend. She killed someone because they threatened her friend. And now, even though she was emotionally all over the place, she focused on Eddie. Maybe it was easier for her to focus on him instead of her own pain? Like Eddie was focusing on learning and tracking. I doubted Rose was doing it consciously. It was just her way.

"Come on, let's eat and get some sleep. Another long day tomorrow."


	36. Chapter 36

RPOV

The rock exercise had been as boring as it had sounded. Eddie seemed completely engaged in the exercise and was even able to see some patterns and explain what kind of activity had taken place that day, and I could tell Dimitri had been impressed.

But all I saw was rocks.

I kicked one, and it was sent flying into the side of the mountain. It chipped a small piece of the mountain. A very tiny itsy bitsy piece. I was already imaging Eddie and Dimitri and in my mind Dimitri's voice echoed.

'This looks like an agitated female about five foot seven. The force at which this rock was kicked towards the mountain showed the level of frustration, but the lack of destructions shows no real purpose. I can imagine she was forced to do a menial task most of the day. The slight angle of the chipped rock might even indicate some sexual frustration from having to look at her boyfriend's bare chest most of the day, because he said it was too hot in a shirt.'

I giggled. I doubt they could have learned that from the rock. But it didn't make it any less true.

"Are we done yet? There isn't anything here." I didn't really care if I sounded like a five-year-old. I was done.

"Yes, Rose we can go."

Dimitri walked over to me and kissed my head while pressing his naked and sweaty chest against me. I tried very hard not to groan in frustration. If Eddie hadn't been here, I would have jumped his bones a while back.

We packed up our stuff and started to walk away. Eddie and Dimitri were a bit in front of me. I heard a noise coming from the mountain. I turned around and saw a few pebbles slide down, but I didn't see anything that could have caused it. But a strange feeling of being watched fell over me. I practically ran to keep up with Eddie and Dimitri.

That night as we were laying in the rickety bed, that couldn't possibly keep holding us, I confessed to Dimitri I had felt something strange up at the mountain today.

"I felt the same thing yesterday in town. But I couldn't see anybody."

"I don't like this. We haven't found anything. Somebody is fucking with us, feeding us bad information. Maybe they are trying to keep us away from the main front?"

Dimitri mulled over my words. "Maybe," but by the lack of conviction I knew he had a different theory.

He grabbed my hands and flipped me on my back. General Dimitri made way for my Comrade, and his rare playful side came out. I think he was forcefully trying to push this disturbing thought out of his head, by shutting off General mode. I didn't mind being used like that. I could use some distraction myself. But looking at Dimitri, it was more than just a distraction. It was the realization he had no control over the future and was definitely worried. So he might as well make the best of the time we had left because tomorrow we could be walking into a trap.

He put my hands above my head and kept them there with his one large hand. His arms were long enough so his tongue could reach very delicious places, my mouth, my breast almost to my belly button. He used his other hand to gently caress the skin on my side and the side of my breast. He moved more on top of me and used one of his legs to push my thigh a bit further away so he could settle in between my legs. He deftly used one hand, the other still occupied with restraining me, to place himself at my entrance. The hand between my legs, joined his hand at the top of my head and he used his hips to thrust forward and all the way in.

My back was naturally arched already because of the position of my arms and because of it, my hips had a slight angle to them. It meant with every thrust Dimitri hit that wonderful spot within. From that spot, the heat generated by his cock radiated out across my stomach, towards my legs and settled in my toes. My toes curled, and I lifted my legs up subconsciously. Dimitri took the invitation and freed one hand to be able pull my leg up. I wrapped it around his hip, and his hand settled on my ass to keep me in place.

Dimitri slowed down a bit and looked down towards me. He gently rocked his hips as he lowered his head and kissed me. It was sweet and gentle and full of love. When he pulled back, I could see that love reflected in his eyes, but I could also see apprehension and fear. Fear of what was to come. There wasn't anything we could do about tomorrow. But we could stay here tonight and be with each other. It is rare to be solely focused on one moment in time without letting your thoughts stray to other things, but in this moment, it was just him and me. No war, no strange mission and no creepy eyes watching us. Just us and the boundless pleasures of our bodies.

I wiggled my arms free from his grasp and put them on the side of his face. Keeping his eyes focused on me. We were now breathing heavily as he picked up the pace again. I kissed him as I neared my peak. He kept thrusting even when I pulled him down a bit to meet my lips. Even when the orgasm was racking across my body I still kept kissing him, my moans stifled by his lips. The moment he came he delved his tongue deep into my mouth as if simulating the similar sitation his cock was in. The heat of his cum flooded my pussy, and I felt some escape and drip down my leg.

He pulled back and took one more good look at me as if it was the last time he would see me. He then crashed down next to me and pulled me close.

We laid there a while waiting for our breathing to return to normal and just enjoy each other's company. Personally, I was hoping for another round and then a good night sleep. But it wasn't in the cards for us. Instead of Dimitri's warm hands, I felt a bone-chilling feeling crawl its way up my spine. And I recognized the feeling immediately. I looked at Dimitri in alarm, and he was immediately tense and ready for battle. Those few extra seconds helped us immensely.

Luckily I had already put on a bit of clothing because it was getting chilly, otherwise, all the other Dragons would have been staring at my naked ass when I went to them in alarm. Because a few seconds later the cabin was partly destroyed by Snow Dragons.

Dimitri immediately changed in his Dragon form and attacked. He grabbed his sword, and it changed sizes with him. He hadn't been able to use it in battle yet, but I was glad he had it now. There were a lot of them. They didn't seem surprised to find us, telling me that they probably came looking for us and that this attack was intentional. And suddenly those eyes on us made sense. There had been Snow Dragons in the region and they had been watching us the whole time, finding an opportune moment to attack.

I grabbed my sword ready to fight with Dimitri, but he yelled at me to warn the others.

I was torn. They would see the Snow Dragons soon enough. The lake wasn't that far away, and it meant I would have to leave Dimitri, to fend them off until the others came and helped. But this wasn't just about Dimitri. This was about everyone. So reluctantly I ran towards the others with tears in my eyes and warned them of the threat. It was testimony to Dimitri's skill in battle that no Snow Dragon was able to follow me so quickly and prevent me from warning others.

Everyone came into action immediately and took to the sky towards the cabin. Christian bent down so I could mount his back so we could join this fight together. And fight we did. Christian and I were a surprisingly good team. His flame distracted them long enough for me to strike them. And whenever I was in trouble, his flame scorched them long enough so I could get away.

But there were already so many bodies on the ground. Many Snow Dragons but I could see some of our soldiers too, their darker scales contrasting sharply against the whiteness of the Snow Dragons making them easy to spot. I quickly scanned to see if Eddie's gold scales were amongst them, but he wasn't on the ground.

To my relief, Dimitri had emerged from the ruins of the cabin, large sword in his claw. He was a bit bruised and battered, but otherwise, he was okay. He seemed mostly tired. But he didn't have time to rest, neither did we because the Snow Dragons just kept coming. I had already taken down so many together with Christian, but it was like a hydra. Cut off one head, and three come back. But we were holding our own.

"I have never seen so many together. Usually they don't team up like this."

Christian had more experience with Snow Dragons, so I took his word for it. But regardless of if this was common or not, we would have to survive somehow.

They seemed to realize we weren't the easy prey they thought we were. Snow Dragons are inherently arrogant, even more so than Fire Dragons but in this case, it helped us. Because they thought they had already won the battle before it started.

Christian and I were busy fighting a large Dragon. But you know what they say. The larger they are… the more space they have underneath their paws, and you could sneak up on them undetected because they aren't looking for a tiny human and you can rip them open from snout to tail and they are dead before they even hit the ground. Okay so maybe that isn't the saying exactly, but it works in this case.

The Snow Dragons decided that we weren't worth the sacrifices they had made, and started to back away. I had first thought they had spotted us, tracked us and waited silently until we let our guard down to attack, I now realized they had another plan altogether. And the moment I realized what they were actually planning I felt numb, I was paralyzed, I couldn't move or breathe. And then I screamed. I screamed his name hoping that somehow that would keep him close with me. My heart broke into a million pieces as Dimitri was getting further and further away from me. I couldn't breathe yet somehow I kept screaming.

Because they weren't here to kill us, they were here for Dimitri. They hadn't been watching us. They had been watching him. I realized they had also fabricated the information main command had gotten, and all for one reason, to get General Dimitri the Honorable here.

They had focused mostly on him while the rest of were trying to keep alive. But at first, I had thought it was because they judged him to be the bigger threat, which in truth he was. But they were focusing too much on him. And they weren't making kill shots. They were wearing him down, and although it took a lot to wear Dimitri down. I only knew of two things, a night of passion with me and about ten Snow Dragons pounding in on him again and again and again.

They decided that they had lost enough men and had beaten down Dimitri long enough for them to execute the last part of their plan. I went to stop them, but they were too far away. After one brutal blow, Dimitri went limp, and two of them picked him off the ground. I tried to get to him as fast as I could but I couldn't move as they dragged Dimitri up towards the darkness of the mountains. It wasn't because I was paralyzed with fear of losing him or the trauma was too overwhelming. It was because an annoying and rigid Dragon was holding me back.

"Stan let go of me. We have to go after him."

"We don't have the manpower. It will be suicide."

"Then let go of me, I'll go after him," I pleaded with tears running down my face. But the Rigid Dragon truly deserved his name.

"You do that, and he will haunt me in the afterlife for getting you killed. Besides, you are still a part of this squad, and with Dimitri gone, command falls to me and you will obey."

I finally broke free of Stan, but as I looked back where I had last seen Dimitri I could see only the night sky. They had already disappeared into the mountains, no doubt a predetermined plan for escape. He was gone.

I fell to my knees and cried, wailed and screamed, until I barely had a voice left. I kept staring at the black sky. The moon gave up just enough light to illuminate my failure to help him.

When I could no longer make a sound, I dried my eyes and pulled myself together. I stood up and walked over to my things. I packed my sword and flung it over my shoulder. I already started to walk in the direction of the mountains, towards the last place I had seen Dimitri.

"I am going after him."

Stan sighed deeply.

"I am sorry Rose, he was a good man, but you dying along with him isn't going to help anyone."

I turned angrily towards Stan and practically screamed in his face.

"He isn't dead yet Stan. They were wearing him out. They were kidnapping him. They had opportunities to kill him and they didn't, they want him alive. I don't know for how long, so I am going to hurry and get him back, one way or another."

Stan stood there on his hind legs with his claws across his chest. The pose seemed so human yet, completely different with the Dragon anatomy.

"If you want to go fine. Let's see how far your human legs will take you. They are already miles away, and I am not lending you any Dragons. We are exhausted, and some of us need medical attention, and we have to burn our dead. And we still have a mission to complete. So you can go, but you are going alone."

Although I had been prepared to do that from the start, Stan had raised an interesting point. I had flown here on Dimitri's back. Without a Dragon for me to fly with, the journey would take too long and any hope I had of finding Dimitri in time would be lost.

"I'll go."

I looked shocked towards Christian.

"I'll go with you," he said reconfirming as they rest of us were looking at him confused.

"Know this, Christian. You might not have a rank in the military, but you are under my command. Ignoring my orders means dissertation. They will be lenient on her because she is a hybrid and I doubt she has been made an official part of the military yet, but for you, it is a different story. You go with her, you commit treason."

I looked at Stan in shock. I was about to ask him why he was so mean, but I realized he wasn't being mean. He wanted to make sure Christian knew what he was getting himself into. I could see part of Stan wanted to go after Dimitri too. All of them seemed to feel the loss of their leader. But Stan was right, leaving for Dimitri meant treason and Dimitri wouldn't want any of them to do that for him. The best Stan could do at the moment was making sure Dimitri's mission was carried out.

"You can't go Christian. Not if it means you will be charged with treason."

He smiled a little.

"Dimitri is my friend, and I would never let him suffer if I could help it. But this isn't just about that. This is about payment. I asked Yeva to perform the longevity spell on Lissa, so we could be together. And her payment was that I would have to save Dimitri, even if it meant I would have to commit treason. She has seen this coming. I have to go. Not just for you or Dimitri, but for me. I always keep my word."

"I'll go too." Eddie chimed in. But Stan was quick enough to step in.

"No, you won't. You haven't healed properly yet, you will slow them down." Eddie's face fell, but he nodded. I gave Stan a grateful look, and he returned it with a nod. Eddie might have been able to contribute, he had healed up pretty well, but Stan and I both knew the chances of success on this mission were slim and I didn't need any more deaths on my hands.

Christian bend down so I could climb on his back. Somehow between fighting Isaiah together and now this battle, we had become a bit closer. I trusted him and I had a feeling I would need him going forward.

Christian took to the sky, and we set off, off to retrieve the man I loved.


	37. Chapter 37

DPOV

The moment the Snow Dragons engaged me I knew something wasn't right. There were so many of them, yet they seemed to take turns in approaching me. They weren't trying to kill me which was strange. They had had a few opportunities already, but they didn't take them. In fact, I heard one of them calling out to another to 'stick to the plan' and not 'overdo it.' Whatever their plan was, it included me being alive. That should have made me feel better, but it didn't.

I was determined to fight my way out of this and get back to Rose. I knew she had gotten away and towards the others. They hadn't seemed too interested in following her which again let me to believe I was crucial to their plans.

I had killed two of them already, and I felt the spine of a third break underneath my muscles. I swung my heavy sword, and a fourth lost most of his head. When I survived this, I would have to thank the blacksmith. But still, they kept coming. Whoever organized this raid had a lot of influence to gather so many Snow Dragons.

There was a slight pause in the battle as they were regrouping around me, circling me in. They stepped over the dead bodies of their fellow Snow Dragons seemingly undisturbed by their fall. They were circling me, each one of them taking a turn and lashing out at me. One of them got me in the leg, their fangs ripping apart the scales and skin, leaving a bloody mess. It hurt, but the wound was superficial - he didn't use enough power to critically injure my leg, just to make it harder to run from them.

They kept coming at me one at a time, sometimes two at a time, but always alternating. Their strategy was to wear me down, and it was working. I had to constantly keep my guard up on all sides. I didn't have eyes on the back of my head, so I had to make do with my other senses, but I couldn't last much longer.

They were picking up the pace so they could finish me. I had had enough, I had to end this soon, or I would be done for. I inhaled deeply and was about to unleash my flame with the last bit of strength I had, hoping to take out as many as possible, when I felt something hard and heavy on the back of my head and the world went black. I lost my sight before I lost my hearing, and I fell unconscious to the desperate plea of my Roza, not to take me.

I woke up with a loud groan. My ears were still ringing with my Roza's screams. I wondered why she was screaming until I remembered how I got here.

I was chained to the wall with heavy duty shackles. The cave I was in, was dark but lit with fire torches so we could see. Dragons had much better eyesight than humans, but we still needed a bit of light, even we couldn't see in perfect darkness. I couldn't see beyond the alcove and the corridor leading out of it, the end being engulfed by blackness.

I tried to determine where I was. Based on how injured I was, and how sore I was now, I'd probably been passed out only a couple of hours. The slight cuffing on my wrists by the chains led me to believe the chains had been on me for almost that entire duration. And seeing we were in a cave and the mountain range beside the lake was the only one in the vicinity, I deduced we were probably still pretty close to the lake.

I rolled my shoulders and tested my body as best as the shackles allowed. I had thought it strange that they seemed to be holding back. I knew I was a skilled fighter and their initial lack of success in killing me I attributed to that fact, but soon I realized they didn't want me dead. They wanted me for information, probably on Isaiah. Or maybe these are Dragons who worked for another leader and simply wanted information about the front. Maybe these were the eyes I have been feeling on me for the last two days. Or maybe they have a sick fetish for chains.

I was injured. I had a few bruised ribs, some cuts, and bite marks. There was a bite taken out of my left leg that hurt like hell, but most of these were surface wounds. They stayed away from any real internal damage that might end up with me dead. The fact Snow Dragons were able to show that kind of restraint in battle meant they were either evolving or they feared the person who told them to take me, more than they needed blood and violence.

The light of the torches became brighter, and I someone around the corner. Judging by the color of the scales of this Dragon, it wasn't a Snow Dragon. I wondered what kind of Dragon would associate themselves with Snow Dragons, but when I saw her snout and recognized her, I knew. Galina.

Galina used to train me. She was a very respected member of the military, and I was a recruit in her squad. She had always been rather strict with the rules. I never really understood why she insisted so much on rules and doing the right thing. But later I realized she imposed those rules on herself because she didn't have the internal moral compass to make those decisions without them. And when Galina learned that her mother had been raped by a Snow Dragon, and she was the product, suddenly she felt she didn't need to follow those rules anymore and she went rogue.

We hadn't heard from her in a few decades and assumed she was dead. But we were wrong. I now understood how the Snow Dragons were able to organize. With a dominant creature like Isaiah and a mastermind like Galina, who, at least in Snow Dragons terms, could control her violent urges long enough to actually make an informed decision, they were able to achieve more than they had done in millennia before this.

This didn't bode well for me.

She approached me and seemed pleased I recognized her immediately.

"Dimitri. My favorite student. Such a shame that you there won't be anything left of you when I am done."

"What do you want Galina?"

The cruel smile on her face was something I hadn't seen from her, but showed that she had embraced her Snow Dragon heritage without a doubt. How my once so honorable mentor could fall so hard, I didn't know, but I consoled myself by thinking that she was dead and this monster had simply taken her place.

"I want you on your knees. I want you to beg for death. I am going to break you and then in front of all my men, in front of all your men, I will finally end you, showing the world we are the superior race. Once they see their great General Dimitri fall, they will bow down to me."

Any other Snow Dragon, and I knew they would sooner kill me than be able to break me. They didn't have the patience to slowly torture someone to the breaking point. One provocation, and they would lash out and this would be over and their plan avoided. But with Galina, I knew she could do it. I knew she knew that delicate line between death and almost death. I knew I had a strong pain threshold and I wouldn't break so easily, but I also knew Galina would stop at nothing. My only hope was that she messed up and killed me.

I almost laughed at the realization that death was the preferred option.

Escape would be better, but I knew that wasn't realistic. I knew Stan. He wouldn't spare the man power to go after me. And rightly so. They had a mission to complete - that was assuming most of them survived. I knew from her screaming voice before I passed out that Rose was still alive, but I had no idea about any of the others. I had been a bit too busy fighting my own foes to pay much attention to them.

"You can torture me all you want, I won't break."

She laughed. A laugh reflecting the soulless creature she now was. All warmth that she had once possessed had left her voice and in its place was an ice cold sound.

"I don't expect this to be easy, and honestly I am looking forward to the challenge, but you will break."

The certainty she held within her voice frightened me because I believed her.

"But first, we need to move. This was a nice place to wait for your friends to leave you behind, but on the odd chance they decide to be stupid and brave, we are moving you to a more secure location."

As if on command a few Snow Dragons stepped into the light and started to work my shackles. They unhooked them from the wall, but they didn't release me from them. They pulled me forwards, and I had no choice but to follow.

I was taking in my surroundings, but I didn't think it would do me any good. There were six Snow Dragons flanking me and then there was Galina. She alone would be hard to fight. I was injured and tired and chained, and I had to fight my way through six monsters and the person who taught me everything. Oh yeah, I was also in a maze of caves deep inside a mountain with only a few torches.

So I let them lead me away. They pulled my chains and kicked me to make me walk faster, or maybe they just did it to humiliate me.

I didn't know how they expected me to fly; the shackles ran across my back and between my wings to prevent me from flying. But judging by the smile on Galina's face, she had thought of everything.

Once we were outside and ready to take off, she placed a collar around my neck. I recognized the markings on the metal. They burned bright, and I could feel their effects when she held it close to me.

The markings were similar to the binding spell put on Rose, and the moment she clicked the damn thing in place I felt all my power fade and my connection to my flame was gone. It also resulted in me transforming into my human form which is probably why she put it on in the first place. They could carry me now.

Luckily the shackles fell away, my wrists being way too skinny in my human form to support them, but it didn't matter. The claws of a Snow Dragon worked just as well to contain me.

"Where are we going?" I asked, not really expecting an answer, but needing to ask anyway.

"Where nobody will ever find you."

And with those ominous words, we took off. It felt strange not flying myself. I had gotten used to my human form from spending so much time with Rose. I knew Galina was hoping that the collar had more of an effect on me. And it was hard not being able to touch my flame, but I felt comfortable in my human form, and I knew Rose had been cut off from her flame for years and she was just fine, so I wouldn't give Galina the satisfaction of it getting to me.

What was getting to me was the distance and direction she was flying me in. I had thought she would take me deep into the northern mountains, to some Snow Dragon stronghold, but instead, she led us south towards the edge of the Fire Dragon realm, where it bordered on a desert. I couldn't deny the brilliance of that move, even if it was used against me. Nobody would be looking for Snow Dragons in the Fire Dragon realm and certainly not where it was the hottest. The desert area was mostly deserted, so no one would be able to spot the occasional Snow Dragon flying overhead.

And she was right; no one would ever find me there.

When we arrived I was shackled again. There were two sets in the room they were keeping me. One smaller, obviously meant for my human form, and one larger, no doubt designed to keep my Dragon form under control. I noticed the larger shackles also contained the binding spell. I wondered how she got them. My grandmother was one of the few who could perform that spell, and I doubt she would forge shackles from it. My grandmother wasn't a saint, but she would never agree to make that.

Galina saw me eyeing the shackles in clear recognition.

"You have seen these before? They are very rare; there are only a few of them left. The binding spell is ancient. I wanted to make more, but I haven't found anyone who was able to reproduce the spell. And after a few failed attempts that ended…badly, no one was willing to try. But I only need these. The spell has held for centuries, and they will hold a little longer. My guess is that even with your strong will you won't be able to outlast this spell."

Another reason I needed to make sure I wouldn't break. I couldn't let her know my grandmother could probably forge her shackles.

"They are designed to keep you from accessing your flame. The one around your neck is meant to keep you in your human form. Some torture methods work best when the skin is nice and pink and squishy. The shackles are simply to keep you weak, while we are off feasting and resting."

She walked closer to me and ran her long claw over my chest leaving a small drop of blood in her wake.

"You know what that means right. That you will never be able to access your flame again. That you will always be weak. That the great General Dimitri is no more. So what are you fighting for Dimitri, give up now and spare yourself some pain and suffering."

I laughed. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt. And my bruised ribs, and my sore muscles. But I laughed anyway.

"If you think this is all it takes to break me, I am feeling a lot better already. And if you think that I judge my worth by my strength you never knew me at all."

Anger and frustration flashed in her eyes but was shorty replaced by the thrill of the challenge.

"I actually hoped you wouldn't break yet. I have so many things I want to try on you. But for now, rest. Rest and imagine all things I will do to you."

She left the room laughing, and I wanted to slide down towards the ground but realized the chains wouldn't allow it. I groaned. Having me standing up all day and night for God knows how long was torture in and on its own.

I didn't sleep that day. Not only was it hard standing up, but I was actually imagining what my future looked like, like Galina suggested, and it wasn't good. A few days ago I had imagined me lying in bed with Rose next to me, naked of course after we had just made love. I had imagined us sitting on my sundeck together and bathing in the lake in the cave. Now I was imagining her grief-stricken face as she realized I wasn't coming back.

The next few days I didn't see Galina or anyone else. They didn't bring water or food, and I was beginning to think they had forgotten me. I knew Galina didn't think that I could be broken by fasting, but maybe she just wanted me weak. Well weaker. The collar was beginning to be a real bitch.

On the morning of the fourth day, she finally stepped into the chamber where I was held. She had two large Snow Dragons with her, and in my human form, they looked like mountains.

She took the collar off and the chains, and for a moment I felt my flame again. I immediately transformed, and the moment I was a Dragon again, they shackled me to the wall in the chains with the binding spell.

The loss of connection to my flame nearly left me weeping, and I knew that that had been Galina's intent. They could have put the shackles on before I transformed. That would have reduced the risk of escape during that small moment of freedom. But that small moment of freedom was what Galina wanted. I was beginning to acclimate to the binding spell and conform to a new normal. But losing my flame all over again a second later was devastating. I knew Galina was preparing to use that more often.

But at least for today, she had also been planning something physical. In a weird way, I was looking forward to it. The inaction didn't sit well with me, and at least I knew what Galina was going to do instead of imagining it. The Devil you know right?

Galina took a large iron rod and heated it up with her flame. I wondered now that my own flame was blocked, if I would be as fireproof as before? I should have asked Rose if she ever got burned.

But I suppose I would get the answer soon enough.

I was determined not to scream. I had no doubt that whatever she was going to do with that thing would hurt, but I would not give her that satisfaction. I some weird way I wanted to be like Rose when that idiot human had her whipped. She never let out a sound, she never broke. I was holding onto that. I imagined her strong, defiant gaze as Galina stepped closer.

But as she lifted one of my scales and forced the hot poker inside the soft and tender flesh beneath my scales, I screamed, and I knew she had won the first battle already.

I know many of you wondered if Dimitri would 'turn' Snow Dragon. And seeing as I made the Snow Dragons a separate species the answer is no. The next part will be slightly different from the book. The events will change Dimitri and Rose, but I simply couldn't imagine Dimitri hurting Rose no matter how much he was tortured. So I made the decision to change him in a different way. Also Rose will go through some changes. In blood promise, she sacrificed a bit of herself when she was captured by Dimitri and here she will change as well. But differently. Fun times up ahead, Fun times.


	38. Chapter 38

RPOV

We had been at this for four months, and I was beginning to lose hope. The only positive note was that nobody had come after Christian yet for treason. But I suppose everyone was very busy.

Despite the fact that the Snow Dragons took a huge hit after losing Isaiah, they seemed to have regrouped. The rumor goes that a new leader has taken over and is much better at keeping them in line. It was keeping our troops engaged in combat for the entire duration since we had been gone.

We had heard from them on occasion. Lee was sort of our go-between person, if we needed to exchange information. Rogue warriors couldn't really just go towards a squad and ask for intel on the Snow Dragon activity in the area.

So far the word had been that they were holding on, but just barely.

Sometimes I felt guilty for going after Dimitri instead of helping them. The first few days I was optimistic I could find him quickly and bring him home alive. Now the best I could hope for was that they would at least tell me where they burned his body.

Christian had been good through this whole thing. Talk of Lissa always cheered him up when he was feeling gloomy, and he, in turn, would talk about all the embarrassing things he knew about Dimitri. Even though Dimitri had lived for over two hundred years and Lissa barely eighteen, there was a lot more to tell about Lissa than Dimitri, although I had known Lissa most of her life and Christian didn't meet him until he went into the military, so Dimitri had been past his awkward phase. Christian had been able to recite a few interesting stories that Adrian had told him about Dimitri, so there was that.

Currently, we were camping south of the border.

When we had followed Dimitri into the caves in the mountains, we had found a few Snow Dragons and a pair of shackles with blood on it. We were able to get the Snow Dragons to talk and confirm Dimitri had been there. But the only word the dying Snow Dragon had uttered through the blood filling his longs from where I had stabbed him repeatedly, was 'south.'

Christian said it might have been a lie to throw us of their scent, but I had seen the truth in his eyes and something else. He didn't look ashamed he had rated his boss out, he looked proud, and I could see excitement in his dying eyes before they went black.

Whoever took Dimitri, whoever commanded these Dragons was powerful. And I had a feeling the rumors of a new boss was connected to Dimitri being missing.

So we went south and asked around if anyone has seen anything. We even politely questioned a few Snow Dragons as we found a few along the road, indicating indeed there was Snow Dragon activity south of the border. I was still washing the blood from my clothes from asking them.

Christian was making a nice roast from a cow he had taken from a nearby pasture. Christian preferred his Dragon form as did all Dragons, but when eating and sitting down with me, he often transformed. He did say he wanted it to feel natural when he returned to Lissa.

This had been our routine for the past few months. Torturing Snow Dragons for information, sitting by the campfire and moving on each morning with new hope that this would be the day we found him. Of course, it never was. I wasn't one for giving up, but I was seriously questioning my resolve right about now, but somehow I knew that if Dimitri had died, I would have known. I needed to believe he was alive, even if it was just to keep my sanity.

After we had our dinner, we set out to hunt our prey for the night. There had been reports of a Snow Dragon flying over this region. We were close to the desert here, and Christian had called the last informant crazy, but it was the only lead we had so we followed it.

Snow Dragons tended to stay here in human form. It was easier to hide and infiltrate than with their giant white scaled bodies. They still didn't look human in my opinion, but they looked human enough that when covered with a cape and hat they blended in.

But not to me. Somehow I had developed a six sense for them. The chill I felt every time one of them was near was a nice warning, and it helped to track them down.

Christian and I walked into the local tavern. If you wanted information, it was always prudent to start there. Certainly in remote areas such as this. One of the many lessons I had learned from Dimitri. But as luck would have it, we wouldn't need any information tonight. Because as I walked in, that bone-chilling feeling crept up my spine, and I immediately spotted the Snow Dragon in disguise.

I motioned towards Christian, and he nodded. He walked to the bar and got us a drink as I situated us near the Snow Dragon. The Snow Dragon might recognize Christian as a Dragon, but my encounter with Isaiah had made me realize that they couldn't detect the Dragon in me. So I sat closest to him, trying to keep Christian off of his radar. Perhaps if he wasn't actively looking for a Dragon, he didn't notice them.

Christian joined me, and both of us held our breaths for a moment as he sat down wondering if the Snow Dragon would turn around. But he just kept staring into space.

We chatted about nothing, in particular, trying to pass the time. Taverns tended to be open all night and the patrons didn't seem like they would slow down anytime soon. The Snow Dragon was eyeing some customers hungrily, and I knew it was a matter of time before he would follow one of them out to eat the poor soul. After about an hour, the Snow Dragon got up as a fat human left the tavern. We followed the Snow Dragon. In the back alley, we were just in time to stop the that monster from feasting on the fat human before we engaged.

It was different fighting a Snow Dragon in human form. He didn't have time or space to transform and neither did Christian. I was used to fighting in human form, and Christian said he had practiced as well, but it was still strange. Normally I could move between their legs, move quicker than they did, but in human form, the Snow Dragon was lighting fast. He struck out at me, and I landed a few feet away.

Christian unleashed his flame, or well as it turns out in human form, more vomited his flame and distracted the Snow Dragon long enough for me to strike its sides and legs. The Snow Dragon went down, and we were able to restrain him. Christian contained his legs, and I was sitting on his chest keeping his arm and fangs in check.

I took my blade and placed it against the pale skin of his neck.

"You are going to tell me where I can find General Dimitri the Honorable."

His eyes widened at the mention of Dimitri, and my heart skipped a beat. Most Snow Dragons we interrogated didn't show any sign of recognition when we mentioned Dimitri; they just told us rumors about where we would find Snow Dragons in the south. But this Snow Dragon was different. This one knew they held Dimitri, now all we had to figure out was if he also knew where.

"I am not telling you shit," he hissed at me, cutting his skin slightly on my blade, making him hiss again.

I smirked down at the Snow Dragon and pressed the blade further into his skin. I send a small wave of heat through the metal, and I could hear the sizzle of his skin as the heat transferred from my blade towards the now slightly blackened skin.

"That is what they all say, yet at the end of the night, they tell me everything, what I want to know, what they had for breakfast, how they were neglected as a child, how they wear ladies underwear when in human form, every God damn thing I ask of them. So what makes you think you are special?"

I could see actual fear in his eyes, but he tried to mask it with a snort, but I could tell I was already halfway there.

I took the blade from his neck, taking with it a few bits of his skin that had melted stuck to the blade. He winced in pain, but nonetheless tried to get free from my hold during the small moment of freedom.

But I was quicker and impaled his arm, the blade slicing through bone like it was butter. He screamed in agony and tried to wiggle free; making it hurt that much more.

"Oh darn, I seem to have hit a major blood vessel. I need to cauterize it."

His eyes widened a bit before I sent the jolt of heat into his arm, burning the hole shut and making him scream again. It always amazed me that no matter how big the Dragon was, they all squealed like little girls once I was working on them. The only one who had screamed with a bit of dignity was a female. Go figure.

"I could do this all night you know. I have had a bit of practice. I know how to do the most damage without actually killing you. I like that thrill too. Wondering if the next time I'll stab you, you'll bleed out or if I can cauterize the bleed in time. Either way, it hurts like hell, so I am cool with it."

He spat in the direction of my face.

"You won't go that far with me. You need me alive to tell you where your precious General is."

I grinned from ear to ear.

"We found you; we will find someone again." I definitely sounded more sure than I was. I knew that this was probably my only chance. This is the closest we had been in months. I didn't know how long Dimitri still had, but I knew he couldn't last forever.

But I knew that Snow Dragons only responded to strength and power, prey and predator. If they believed you were stronger they submit, like an animal.

For good measure I stabbed him again, repeating the process. I saw him break out in sweats. Weird for a Snow Dragon, but he had lasted longer than some. I lowered myself a bit. Christian realized my target, and I saw him flinch. He switched with me and held his arms down, while I used my weight to keep his legs in check.

I poised my blade just beside his junk, and I saw him wince.

"Oh we will get to that, don't you worry, but did you know that the flesh on the inside of your thigh is so sensitive? I didn't, until I could make a grown man yell for his mother that had abandoned him before he had even hatched. You see if I cut you right here… avoiding the femoral artery, it should hurt like a bitch."

While I was talking I slowly slid the blade into the flesh, and if his grunting and panting was any indication it hurt, but he was still trying to keep face.

"Now of course that the blade is in all I have to do is channel a bit of heat in there and…"

"Stop, please for God sakes stop."

I tried very hard not to let the triumph show on my face, or the relief. Instead, I kept my sly smile firmly in place.

"You do realize we will kill you afterwards, right?"

He nodded, seemingly he didn't care anymore if he lived or died, as long as he was able to keep his junk and his sanity when passing over to the other side.

"So where is he?"

Tension left his body as he inhaled deeply and took the pain-free moment to clear his head.

"Galina has him in a sand cave just on the edge of the desert, a few miles west of a small town. It is the only one in the vicinity; it is hidden, but shouldn't be hard to find if you know what you are looking for."

"What does this Galina want with him? Why did they take him alive?"

He seemed to find my question amusing.

"She wants to break him and parade his broken ass to all Snow Dragons and Fire Dragons alike. Once they see that their great General has fallen and is bowing down to her, they will all fall."

He was sputtering some things on how great this Galina was and how he would suck the marrow from my bones and they would all feast on our blood and dance on our ashes, but it was hard to hear through the blood filling his longs as I ran my blade through his chest. A few moments later his eyes were blank and his body limp.

Christian got up from his place at the head of the Dragon.

"So we are going towards that cave."

"Yep."

"And we are going to rescue Dimitri from a Snow Dragon infested place where their leader is located."

"Yep."

"And you have a plan?"

"Nope."

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"That is what I thought."

He took his clothes off, put them in the bag and transformed into his Dragon form, and we took off toward the place where the Snow Dragon had pointed too.

We flew until Christian was whining he needed to rest and sleep. So we set up camp, but it was already morning.

"We sleep now, on the hottest time of day and then when the sun has set, we can start to explore under the cover of darkness and not be bothered by the heat," Christian said, quite rationally.

A sound plan and I could use some sleep, but I wouldn't be me if I didn't give Christian some shit.

"You are a Fire Dragon, you are fire itself. And you are complaining about the desert heat?"

He shrugged.

"You walk out there and see if you like it."

I sniggered. Christian was easy to rile up.

I settled in. I knew I needed to sleep. I needed the strength and wakefulness to be able to rescue Dimitri, but sleep did not come easy.

 _Hold on Comrade, I am coming for you, just hold on._

In the evening I was woken by a sniggering Christian.

"You know, for someone so beautiful, you really look like a slobbering dog when you sleep, even sound like one."

I got up and smiled at him and batted my eyes.

"Oh, you think I am beautiful."

Christian seemed to realize he had made me a compliment even if it was followed by an insult. I knew I looked good, even he couldn't deny that, but I never thought he would say it.

"I also called you a slobbering dog. Focus on that."

I laughed, and I could see a hint of a smile on his face too.

"Here, some breakfast, or dinner, or whatever. It is food."

"ah food, my favorite kind of meal," I said, and Christian tried very hard not to laugh. Instead he just shook his head.

"So has your mind been able to come up with a plan that won't get us killed while you slept?" he asked hopefully.

I contemplated what he said and hoped my mind indeed had come up with a brilliant plan.

"Nope, still nothing. We need to do some reconnaissance first."

He nodded. The best plans always start out with as much information as you could get. Another lesson learned from two very important men in my life.

We packed light and left most of our stuff hidden in our camp. We would come back later, hopefully. But for now, we only needed a few things, some water, a piece of paper and charcoal and my weapon. We had come across some human blacksmiths, and they did sell weapons, but Christian refused. He had his flame he said. I actually think he isn't very good with weapons; he seemed visibly scared when I held up a sword.

We hiked a few miles in the sand. I had to agree with Christian; it was still very hot even though the sun had already set. I knew the temperature would drop dramatically during the night, but right now it was still blazingly hot, I could only imagine what it had been at midday.

But if this was already affecting Fire Dragons I couldn't really fathom how Snow Dragons managed in this heat. Bad for them, good for us.

It took another hour, but we finally saw a cave-like structure hidden beneath layers of sand. The opening was peeking out of the sand, its only indication something was beneath. The entrance was large enough for a Snow Dragon to crawl through, but of course, they could also transform first. I wondered if the structure beneath the sand was large enough to house them in their Dragon form. If not, it would give us an advantage. I knew a couple of things, we might not have been trained to kill humanoids, but it was easier killing something six feet tall instead of sixty feet tall.

We stealthily crawled closer, but there was no sign of a guard. I looked over to Christian he put his fingers close together almost touching indicating he was okay with going in a bit further, but only a bit.

We snuck into the cave. I did notice it was bigger on the inside. We made it a few passages, being conscious of our turns so we could go back out when Christian grabbed me and pushed me against the stone in an alcove. He placed his hand over my mouth, and I could see a Snow Dragon passing by. He sniffed a few times, but other than that our presence here remained unnoticed. When he had cleared the corridor, we let out a breath of relief. He had disappeared into the darkness of the cave.

"If we go any further we would need a light which they will notice," Christian said. I could tell he wanted to head out as fast as he could and I couldn't blame him.

I was about to agree with him and head out. We would have to track the comings and goings for a few days to get an idea of the numbers we were dealing with. I had my hand raised to point towards the exit again when I heard a scream.

The pain radiating from that one sound broke my heart and soul. It was Dimitri. I saw Christian's eyes widen in realization I wasn't going to walk out the exit. He was alive, and I could save him.

So I ran, I ran towards the sound, towards the screams, towards my love.

I ran right past the first Snow Dragon that was simply too stunned and confused to react. Luckily Christian was running behind me, and he had killed the Snow Dragon before he could sound the alarm.

The second one was for me. I didn't hesitate as I pushed myself off of the wall to create momentum and jumped on his back. The bone gave way beneath my blade, and I felt his body lose function and go limp as it plummeted towards the ground.

The commotion meant more Snow Dragons came in to see what was going on. We were face to face with five of them. But I wasn't worried. I felt the flame engulf me and give me strength. I knew nothing would keep me from Dimitri. And if the fear in the eyes of my foe were any indication, I was right to be confident.

I hadn't felt this kind of power before. When I killed Viktor, I had an explosion of power, completely out of my control. With Isaiah, I simply let it take me over, I didn't even want to control it. But here it was different. I felt in control, I felt like me. I wasn't fueled by hate like with Viktor or with revenge like with Isaiah; I was filled with purpose. I was an unmoving mountain, and nobody would stand in the way of me taking Dimitri home.

The flame around me grew, and I noticed Christian backing up a bit. So did the Snow Dragons, but I wouldn't let them. I kept it close to myself. With Viktor I unleashed it, and I destroyed everything within a hundred-yard radius. I couldn't afford that again. Instead, I channeled it inwards and into my blade. I felt like I was made of fire, instead of it simply encasing me like armor. I moved forwards and slid underneath the first Dragon slicing him open, snout to tail. Emerging from the other end, I targeted the Dragon behind him. I sliced up. My blade wasn't long enough to reach him, but I projected a beam of fire, so focused it cut through his flesh and bones. His headless neck didn't even bleed that much because I scorched the wound as I had cut his head off.

The third was easy to take down; he was so engrossed in watching me kill the second and watching the first die slowly in agony as he was desperately trying to put his guts back inside, he never saw me coming. His spine was severed in an instant. The fourth and fifth were more work. The fourth was a female who actually shoved the fifth towards me in an attempt to distract me so she could grab my neck, but I used the walls of the cave to lift me off and jump over her. I had my blade extended and hit her across the face with the momentum of my jump. My blade cut through her skull, and she was looking a lot less pretty than she had done a moment ago. The fifth tried to run, and I couldn't even bother to go after him, but moments later I saw Christian in his Dragon form, dust his hands off. I noticed they had a little blood on them. I guess the fifth was gone too.

"Jesus, Rose, you still in there?"

I looked confused until I looked down at my hands, arms and rest of my body. I put my hand in front of my eyes. The flames weren't just red; there was orange and even blue mixed in. I knew from my lessons with Christian getting to blue, one of the hottest flames, was hard and Dragons rarely reached that point. Christian had, but couldn't sustain it for long. But somehow the tiny bits of blue ready at my command didn't cost me much energy. Right now I felt like I had all the power in the world, an endless resource at my expense. And I knew exactly how to use it.

"Cool. Now let's go get our General back."


	39. Chapter 39

DPOV

I hung in my chains in my human form. My legs gave out a few hours ago, but my hands were numb, and I didn't feel the chains digging into my skin, so that worked out fine. I was going in and out of consciousness. Galina never let me sleep for long. She always had ways to wake me up.

But right now I was in the glorious in between, just between conscious and unconscious. It was my only safe place. Reality was too harsh, and my dreams were filled with nightmares, but in that limbo, I could pretend I was somewhere else. I imagined my Roza. Her smile, her hair, her hands running down my body, twisting into my hair, her lips gently pressed against mine.

But today my images were so real. It was like she was here with me. I felt her fingers brush the hair from my face. She traced the contours of my jaw and put a few strands behind my ear. It felt so real; I almost believed she was there.

"Roza."

Her gentle fingers grew sharp talons and scratched my chest drawing blood.

"So that is what you are holding on too."

Galina's voice broke the spell of Rose, and I returned to a more lucid state. Of all the things she took away from me, my power, my freedom, my sanity, her taking Rose from me, even if it was an imaginary version, nearly destroyed me there and then. I had been able to hold on, just barely for these last few months, but my resolve was wavering.

"I knew there was something keeping you sane, keeping you from complying with my wishes, now I know. This Roza, she is your girl, right. I can see it on your face… Maybe I was doing this all wrong. Maybe I shouldn't be going after you. Maybe I should be going after her."

My eyes widened as I saw Galina was serious. Then with renewed strength, I stood up in my restraints and thrashed against them screaming at her to leave her alone. The agony was clear in my voice, and I knew I sounded more pained then I had in a long time. She stepped back amused at my reaction.

I knew it probably was the stupidest reaction I could have had, but I had lost all reason about a month ago. My mind wasn't able to think strategically anymore. It was barely able to think. All there was left was instinct. Don't give up, stay alive, keep Rose safe.

Galina leaned to my screaming face. She stayed just out of range of my spit and the reach of my arms. The smile on her face was unnerving, but I didn't care. I couldn't see it through the cloud of rage I was currently in.

"Where would that precious girl of you be? Maybe I'll send one of the boys after her. They will obey orders to keep her alive, but I can't guarantee she will arrive here… whole."

I thrashed and thrashed until Galina hit me on the head and I went limp in the shackles, and the darkness took me once more, giving me a small reprieve from my reality. Just before I passed out, I thought I heard a voice say 'here I am', but I couldn't hold to consciousness long enough to be sure.

I woke up to a bright light and a gentle touch. The light was almost too bright for me to open my eyes. I hadn't seen the sun in months, and the only light my eyes had seen was the small light from the torches. But this was like looking at the sun. The sun touched me and immediately filled me with warmth just like the real sun did. I tried to focus but I couldn't. I leaned into the touch until I the thought hit me that this was another one of Galina's trick.

"No, get away from me. Stay away."

I pulled on my chains, and for the first time in months, they gave way. I ripped the collar off; somehow it had gotten loose as well. This was another one of her games. She was giving me something again so she could take it away. Like she took Rose away. Like she was giving me the sun back.

But I wouldn't allow it anymore. I transformed into my Dragon form and lashed out at anything or anyone in the vicinity. I flew when I could, and the parts I couldn't, I crawled on my talons and legs, moving towards the exit. It took me a few times to find the blasted thing, but eventually, I moved into the darkness of the night. Or what was supposed to be the night sky littered with stars. But Galina didn't fool me. I knew this was a trick, no matter how much effort she had put into making this sky look real.

But none of this was real. The only thing I felt was real was my flame returning to me. She had wanted to break me by taking it away again, but I wasn't going to let her. I would make sure she remembered that it was a mistake threatening my Roza, and giving me my flame back.

I felt people pursuing me, and I flew as fast as I could, but I noticed I could barely keep my wings straight. They felt strangely, unwrapped and spread like that. I hadn't been able to do that in over four months. But as more red eyes were pursuing me I knew I had to make a stand. I needed to end them now. Because if I didn't escape now, I never would. I dropped a little towards what looked like a town. No doubt it was a ruse from Galina to make me believe there were people in the vicinity. But I could see their true nature. I could see the redness in their eyes. They were all Snow Dragons in disguise. I took a deep breath and gathered as much of my flame as I could. I would only get one chance. I let it out towards the white ghosts pursuing me in the darkness of the night, their almost translucent white scales making them almost light up.

It felt so good to use my flame and it was eager to burn after months of disuse. The Snow Dragons were nothing but ash as I moved my flame past them and onto the monsters below audacious enough to appear human. Not even their screams could convince me that their fear was real, that their pain was real, because I knew these monsters didn't feel. Nothing besides cruelty.

I hadn't seen Galina, but I knew I hadn't gotten to her. She wouldn't die so easily. She must be hiding in this makeshift town. Or maybe she was back at the cave. I didn't care anymore. All I cared about was staying away from her. I burned everything in a mile radius around me, making sure the trees caught on fire and the ground burned, creating a sort of ring around me.

I couldn't move anymore. I couldn't fly anymore. I couldn't even maintain my Dragon form, and I shifted back to human. I laid down in the smoldering embers that used to be a barn. I was just too tired to move, too tired to fight. If Galina wanted me, she could have me. That is if I was still alive in the morning. That was if I was still alive now and not trapped in my own version of the hellish afterlife.

After months of fighting, after months or holding on, I felt the last of my strength leave me. I prayed to the night sky to end my misery and take me this night. I took comfort in knowing at least I was lying down after four months of being hoisted on chains. It wasn't long before this elaborate illusion that Galina had created to mess with me faded into a world I at least knew wasn't real.

The sun eventually woke me up. Strange, because there was no sunlight in the cave. I was hesitant to open my eyes; I didn't want to see reality. Also, I wanted to believe those soft, gentle fingers stroking my hair and holding my face were of my Roza, and if I opened my eyes, I would see the cruel smile of Galina instead.

But I knew she knew I was awake now. Besides, Galina's cruel nature always came to the surface, and she never portrayed the gentle angel for long. But these hands were still lovingly soothing me and caressing me.

"Comrade?"

Even her voice sounded like Rose. What kind of new torture had she come up with? Had Galina actually succeeded in capturing Rose? If I opened my eyes would Rose be hanging next to me in chains? I whimpered and grabbed hold of the person calling me Comrade. As if holding on to her would keep her from dissolving like the illusion she was.

"Comrade, please open your eyes."

I ducked deeper into her lap. I did find it strange that I was in her lap. Although Galina had been a cruel mistress, alternating between violent strokes of abuse and small gentle caresses, she never came so close to me.

"Comrade please?"

I noticed there wasn't a demanding tone in her voice, just concern, and love. Something that Galina was devoid of.

I finally opened my eyes and saw the wasteland we were in. The sun was in the sky, and I felt the bright rays warm my skin.

I turned around slightly and saw my Roza. The sun illuminated her head like a halo, and she looked every bit the angel I had imagined the past few months. She placed her hand on my chest as I groggily sat up. Tears were escaping her eyes and flooding her face. I gently brushed one away, and she grabbed my hand and leaned into it. The look in her eyes didn't portray any cruelty, no violence, and no pain. There was only love. And at that moment I knew Rose was really here. No Snow Dragon could fake that. I grabbed her arms to steady myself, to never let her go and I began to cry. I began to wail and scream and let all the pain I had been feeling over the last few months that I couldn't show to Galina come out. All the times I had to be strong, but wanted to beg her to end me. All those feelings unleashed themselves from me after months of imprisonment. And I knew that Galina had succeeded, because, I broke.

After most of my sobbing had stopped, I took a good look at Rose. She seemed fine, but I could see cuts and bruises on all the parts of her that were visible to me, and I could only assume that the flesh underneath her clothes was just as marred. There was also a good amount of blood on her. But by the lack of a giant gaping hole in her, I assumed it wasn't hers.

"What happened?" I asked hesitantly. I had no idea what she had done the last couple of months.

"We saved you."

I reluctantly let my eyes leave Rose and focus on the person sitting beside her and saw Christian. I looked around to see if there were others, but I didn't find a single soul alive around here.

"The two of you?"

She nodded.

"Christian and I tracked you here and saved you. Well you saved yourself once we had gotten rid of most of the Snow Dragons, I unchained you, but you took off. You killed the last of the Snow Dragons that followed you from the sand cave."

She hesitantly looked at the scorched earth. I couldn't quite understand the emotion reflected in her eyes. She seemed sad? Sad I killed Snow Dragons?

"What about Galina?" I asked, dreading the answer. Rose was still alive and relatively unharmed, probably meaning she hadn't crossed paths with Galina. But the small smile on Rose's face told a different story.

"I killed her. She might have expected a Dragon to come for you, but she didn't expect me. It was hard taking her down. I got most of these from fighting her. You didn't wake up until after I had taken her down. But you seemed a little out of it. I don't think you recognized me back then. So you took off and flew out of the cave."

"You did look a bit different back then." I heard Christian comment on Rose's explanation.

She looked different? She unchained me? All I could remember was a sun. A warm and gentle sun. Had that been Rose?

Wait.

 _You killed the last of the Snow Dragons that followed you from the sand cave._

 _You didn't wake up until after I had taken her down._

 _So you took off and flew out of the cave._

Galina was dead before I took off and was unchained, meaning it wasn't a trick. I flew out of the cave. And killed the last Snow Dragons that had followed me? I got up from the ground and looked around at the devastation I had caused. I am no longer in the cave. And all Snow Dragons that were in the vicinity followed me from the cave and I killed them. Then what had I seen in the village? Who did I kill?

I came to the horrible conclusion that this village had in fact been a village but was now reduced to ashes. Ashes of the houses they lived in, ashes of the trees that surrounded it, and ashes of bones of the people who lived here. I had massacred an entire village. That was why Rose was looking around in sadness. She was mourning the humans who had made this their home, whose lives had been destroyed by a monster like me.

I fell to the ground, and Rose was beside me in an instant. She tried to hug me, but I pushed her away.

"Don't come near me," I growled, and I saw her back up a little startled.

"Dimitri?"

"Stay away. You should stay away from a monster like me."

She slowly approached me again, she tried to put her hand on my shoulder, but I pulled it out of her reach. She withdrew her hand again.

"You are not a monster Dimitri, why would you think that?"

I got up a little agitated. How could she still look at me like she was seeing Dimitri the Honorable? I was anything but. Galina may not have won, but she did succeed in killing the revered General.

I gestured around as if Rose was crazy or blind.

"Look at this Rose, I did this. I destroyed this village. I killed all those people. They had spent months in close proximity with Galina, yet survived only to be brutally murdered by me."

Rose got up as well. She stayed where she was, not wanting to spook me.

"This isn't your fault. You were confused after months of being tortured by her. Nobody is blaming you for not being a hundred percent aware of what was going on. I can only image what you went through."

The worst thing Rose could imagine couldn't possibly come even close to the truth, and it shouldn't. Only someone as cruel as Galina could imagine the things she did to me. She looked down my body, and I knew it wasn't to check out my naked body. Maybe I would have preferred that. She was looking at me with pity. I knew I was covered in scars from Galina's sadistic games. Cuts and burns and bite marks littered my body.

She came a little closer. She still wasn't touching me, but I let her near me without recoiling.

"What happened here was tragic, but it wasn't your fault Dimitri. You weren't yourself. If you want to blame anyone, blame the ashes of Galina currently scattered across the desert. You weren't you, you were exhausted and in pain and honestly, you don't look much better now. Let's get out of here and go home so you can heal."

Heal? I didn't deserve to heal. I didn't deserve to live. Galina had taken everything from me, my strength, my name, and my sanity. Now she had taken my virtue and made me a monster. I wondered if there was enough left of me even to carry on. I felt so empty; I was just a shell that had vaguely resembled a person once.

Rose closed the distance between us and placed her soft hand on my chest. It was so light I could barely feel it. But it stirred something in me. Somewhere in my heart, there was something Galina hadn't taken from me. She hadn't taken Rose. I wanted to selfishly hold on to her, to the last remaining piece of me. But I pulled back. How long would it take Rose to figure out that Galina really killed her Comrade? How long would it take her to leave?

I cast my eyes to the ground and looked away. She withdrew her hand in disappointment, and I tried very hard not to desperately take it back and cling to it.

"We should move out. I don't know how many Snow Dragons knew about this place, but there could be more coming this way. Also, we need to report to Stan or command."

I saw Rose nod at Christian's level-headed remark.

"I want to take him back to the cave. Let him heal a bit before we subject him to any questioning from the military or court. Maybe we can contact Lee with information about Galina. They will need to strike now and eliminate the threat once and for all."

Rose sounded so commanding and sure of herself. She had really grown these last few months. She and Christian seemed to have come to some understanding as well. Rose would be a fine warrior in our troops. She had blossomed where I had withered and died.

Rose and Christian spoke about some particulars I didn't care about. I sat down again, too tired to do anything else. I heard Christian groan once or twice, but eventually, they had come to some sort of consensus about what to do next.

"Here are some clothes. They are a little short for you, but that is all we got right now." Christian handed me a set of clothes from a backpack. Obviously, they had been meant for him.

Of course, there wouldn't be any other clothes around. I had destroyed the one place in the vicinity that might have provided them.

Christian transformed into his Dragon form and bowed down to let Rose climb his back. When Rose gestured to me to get on, I understood what Christian had been whining about. I tried to say no. It was ridiculous for one Dragon to ride another, but I knew if I wanted to get out of here, I would have to. There was no way I had enough strength to transform, and even if I did, I wouldn't be able to fly a reasonable distance. So I got on, and we took off. Back to a life I didn't think was meant for me any longer.


	40. Chapter 40

RPOV

I was worried about Dimitri, that was for sure. He didn't say anything the entire time we were flying. Christian took us back to Dimitri's cave. It took almost three days, and not a single word came out of his mouth. Christian and I had shared looks with each other. Now Dimitri had never been the chatty type, but his silence was concerning, to say the least. Where Dimitri used to seem so large with the way he carried himself, he now seemed so small, almost childlike.

He sat at the kitchen table picking at his food. I had imagined he would be ravenous after months of torture. I mean, God knows what they were feeding him. But he barely ate. I was in the alcove next to him standing beside Christian. He was leaving to visit Lissa once the sun came up. I had wanted to go with him, but we both agreed Dimitri wasn't in any position to be left alone right now. Maybe in a few days or weeks, he would be up for visitors and Christian and Lissa could come here.

"It's like he isn't even there."

I punched Christian in the arm.

"He is in there; he has just been through a lot. He will come around, I know he will." I wondered who I was trying to convince, Christian or myself.

"I hope so. Dimitri has always held himself up to a higher standard than others. He earned his name, but I worry that what he did will take away his whole identity. I think the torture he could have survived, but this?… I don't know."

I knew he was right. This wasn't about what Galina had done to him, although I could tell that had affected him too. He was somewhat afraid of fire, and for a Fire Dragon to be afraid of fire he must have been through something terrifying. Furthermore, he kept testing his own flame, as if it wouldn't be here a moment later. I knew he felt disconnected from who he was. But I was determined to help him through this.

"But, you were awesome. Got a handle on that flame of yours now don't you?" Christian said as he nudged my arm.

I nodded. I felt like I was in control, like it had finally integrated with me completely. I wasn't afraid I would go off like a bomb anymore.

"Yeah, I think I did okay."

He sniggered.

"Right, you did okay. You took the two top enemies out and probably ended this war."

I smiled and put my hands on my hips cockily turning to him.

"So did I earn my nickname yet? In light of recent events, I would say Rose the Brave or Rose the Awesome is in order. Or maybe Rose the Badass. Oh, I like the sound of that."

He leaned in a bit with a smirk on his face.

"Nope, none of the above. Even if you dive headfirst into a nest of Strigoi, you do it to protect the ones you love. Many soldiers do it for glory, or because they were simply trained to, or like me because they want to contribute and make a difference. But you will take on any fight if it means saving the people you love. So to me, you are Rose the Protective."

I suppose I could live with that name. And he was right. Both my victories over the Snow Dragons were because of someone I loved. But he was wrong about one thing. I didn't save Mason, and I am not sure I saved Dimitri either. I might have physically got him out of there, but I knew that saving Dimitri, would take much more time.

"So are you going to miss me? I mean we did spend four months together."

"Yeah, I am going to miss you, like a bad toothache." He cracked up at his own joke, and I punched him in the arm.

"I am glad we did this, and not just because we got Dimitri back or that I have hopefully paid my debt to Yeva. I could have thought of worse ways to spend these last few months then hanging around with you."

I was about to give him a hug when he finished his thought.

"Of course I could also think a million better ways I could have spent it."

I groaned and shooed him out the door.

"Go on off you go. Go annoy Lissa for a bit. After four months of staring at your Snarky ass, I am done with you."

He laughed but did ride the first morning light towards my hometown eager to rejoin Lissa after being months apart.

So it was just Dimitri and me. Something I had dreamed about for the past four months, yet somehow I was dreading going back into the kitchen towards that depressing silence.

But I did and took a plate of breakfast for myself.

I sat across from him and started to pick at my food.

"Christian's going to Lissa?"

They were the first words he had said, and even though they were simply inquiring about a friend it did send warm and fuzzy feelings straight to my heart. I nodded.

"You can go too if you want. You don't have to stay here."

I looked a little hurt at him. Did he actually want me to leave? I crossed my arms a little defensively.

"I am good here, thanks."

I saw he picked up on my slightly hostile demeanor and I could tell it affected him. He looked rather annoyed. Good, at least something else than guilt.

"Oh come on Rose, I know you don't want to be here. I don't need you to babysit me. I know this isn't the homecoming you planned, so if you want to leave just leave."

I knew he wasn't just talking about right now. He seemed to think I was on the verg of leaving him. How could he even say that? I was done with the gentle mitten gloved hands. Time to bring out the claws. I was never the nurturing type anyway.

"Are you shitting me? No, this is not the homecoming I had imagined. Because I hadn't imagined anything. For the past few months, I didn't allow myself to think of anything other than finding you. Because if I did, I knew I would crumble. If I allowed myself to think what you were going through, or even if you were still alive, I wouldn't have been able to move. So I stuffed all of that down. I focused on the job of getting you back. And you saying now that I have gotten you back, I should just leave?"

I had gotten up during my rant and had walked around the table towards him.

He too had gotten up, and saw anger in his eyes at my words accompanied by a flash of fire. The fire I had missed in his eyes for the past few days. The fire I had been deprived of the last few months.

"You wanted to save _your_ Dimitri. He is dead. Galina might as well have killed me. I am nothing anymore Roza. I am nothing, and you'd be better off just moving on."

I stood there taking in his words. I was too flabbergasted to even speak, so I didn't. Instead, I slapped him across the face.

"Don't you dare tell me what I should do! You think I am the kind of person that walks away from the person she loves most in this world, because he is going through a rough patch? You really think that little of me? Well, fuck you Dimitri the Honorable. Fuck you."

And I stormed off. I can't believe I did that. I can't believe I slapped him, but my hand had moved on it'ss own.

I sat down on his bed, and I had to resist the urge to lie down and take a big whiff of his scent. The same scent I had smelled the first day I was here. I wish we could go back to there.

After about thirty minutes he came into his bedroom and sat down next to me. We were both staring towards the cave wall not looking at each other.

"I am not the man I was Roza. I don't know if I will ever be again. Galina might have failed in her plan to get the military to bend their knee, but she did succeed in breaking me. I just don't know where to go from here."

I placed a hand on his hand which was sitting next to him on the bed. There was still some space between us, but I think closing that distance would scare him off, so for now, I settled for that tiny bit of physical contact.

"I am not the same girl either. The things I have done to find you… I did horrible things. Yes, it was to horrible people and necessary to find you, but I did them anyway. And part of me liked it. There is something satisfying about having complete control over someone, so that they tell you everything. I crossed so many lines to find you. Christian and I deserted the squad; I tortured Snow Dragons. And what I did in the cave. I simply killed them all. It frightens me just how easy it was for me to wipe them from the face of the earth and turn them into nothing but ashes. Maybe I am no better than Galina."

For a moment Dimitri looked at me confused then it was like he was relaying back the events of the cave.

"That was you. You were the sun."

To illustrate his point, I let the flames engulf me and shine bright. Everything about me was pure fire, and I could see Dimitri looking at me in awe. He touched my face, and I was glad to see it didn't burn him. He gently smiled.

"Something so warm, gentle and beautiful could never turn into something as depraved as Galina. You are amazing and these past few months have only made you stronger."

He sounded proud, but I could also see he was distancing himself, because he didn't think it had made him stronger. I laughed and cried as I contemplated the ridiculousness of his statement.

"I am so tired of being strong. I am so tired of holding on. For the past few months, I have barely been able to keep it together. I missed you so much. At times it felt like I couldn't take another step without you. I know your time was worse, but these last few months have been hell for me too."

I saw something soft come over his face as I balled my eyes out. I buried my head in his chest letting all the tension and braveness I had to have these past four months leave me. I gripped his shirt as I cried and cried. Repeating how I have missed him and how I wouldn't have survived if he had died. He pulled me close and whispered that it was going to be okay. Maybe that is what he needed; maybe his protective side would come back once it was needed.

I pulled back a little, and he used his hand to dry my tears.

"I am not going anywhere, Comrade. I know it will take time to get to somewhere normal. You don't have to be General Dimitri the Honorable with me. As long as you are still my Comrade. As long as you still love me as I love you, I know we can come back from this. Do you? Do you still love me?"

I sounded desperate, but I needed to know. He gently brushed my cheek and leaned in to swipe his lips over mine.

"Always."

The next few days he seemed to be getting a little better. We coexisted peacefully even if there was barely any physical contact, apart from that one gentle kiss. I knew part of it was because he was physically hurt. He could barely walk sometimes, and he flinched every time he put on clothes. He grabbed his ribs once when he wanted a book from the top shelf, so I suppose his ribs had taken a beating at some point too. So I didn't push him.

He said little other than questions about what I wanted for dinner, but at least he was talking. And at night we slept in the same bed. I wasn't able to snuggle up to him much because of his injuries, but most nights we would lay facing each other and touching fingers until we fell asleep.

He spent almost all hours of the day on the sundeck. The desperation with which he craved the sun told me he hadn't seen any in the past few months. It was as if those bright rays were a confirmation to him that he was still alive and still a Fire Dragon.

He hadn't talked about what she did to him, so I was surprised when he started to talk while we were on the sundeck.

"The worst things she did to me wasn't the physical torture, yes it hurt, and on my deathbed, I will still be able to accurately describe the pain, but the worst thing she did was take my flame away. Without it, I felt like I had lost myself. She would occasionally give it back for a few seconds, by taking the collar off, or she would allow me a glimmer of it when I was in the shackles in Dragon form, but in a way, it made it so much worse. It was always just out of reach. It got to me. She made me afraid of fire. The things she did with it while I had the collar on made sure I never looked at fire the same way again. I should have been able to handle it better, you did. It was the worst thing besides…"

"Besides what, what else did she do to you?"

He looked at me, and I could see the tears and brim of his eyes.

"Towards the end, she realized I had someone special in my life, and the way to break me was to break you. She threatened you, and I should have acted cool, I shouldn't have given her the satisfaction of knowing she had found my weakness, but I lost it. The depth of despair I felt at that moment, knowing she had all the power and I was defenseless in chains, unable to save you, drove me mad."

He chuckled. A weird reaction given the circumstances, but it was nice hearing a positive emotion coming from him.

"But you really didn't need me saving you. Instead, you ended up saving me."

I scooted a little closer to him and nudged his shoulder.

"Apparently that is what I do. I won't let anyone mess with the people I love. Christian has dubbed me Rose the Protective. He says I only run headfirst into danger when it is for someone I love. We were supposed to just check the place out, count the number of Snow Dragons that sort of thing. We were about to leave the cave when I heard you scream. I didn't think; I just charged in. It was you who finally made me control my flame. I knew I had to be able to save you without killing you in the process. It also made me tap into it like I never had before. In some ways, you saved me too."

He took my hand, and gently stroked my fingers.

"I never realized just how much you must have been suffering while you had the binding spell on."

I returned the favor and stroked his fingers.

"It was different for me. I never had a flame before. I felt like something was missing, but I never knew what it was. I think it was different for you. Your flame has been ingrained into you your whole life. Now that I finally have full access and control over it, I can't imagine ever losing it again."

He nodded but seemed unconvinced. His confidence had really taken a dive.

I snuggled a little closer careful of his injuries.

He turned to me, and our lips met for the second time in a few days. But unlike the first time, we didn't stop after a few seconds. The kiss intensified, and he pulled me closer. I moaned against him, not realizing how desperate I had been for his attention and his affection.

He pulled back all too soon, and I wondered if we had been moving too fast, but I saw he had to pull back because he was catching his breath. I was a little breathless too, but nothing like Dimitri. Being in chains and not moving for four months really hampered his stamina. I had already seen he had lost a good amount of weight, his muscle mass had greatly diminished. Sure he still looked hot and far away from a stick figure, but I could clearly see the difference. And for someone who has been active his entire life, being chained for four months couldn't have been easy. And it is still not over. We were so focused on his emotional recovery the last few days, but now I realize his physical recovery would take a while too.

I stood up and held my hand out to him.

"Let's go for a swim." I made sure I had a sexy look on my face to trick him into following me. Not that I didn't want to get naked with him and have a nice intimate swim, but swimming was also exercise he could do, even while his body was healing.

If he knew my ulterior motive, he didn't mind. Maybe because I was sexily walking towards the entrance of the cave, already unbuttoning my bodice.

He followed me inside, and by the time we had reached the internal lake, we were both naked. I gently let myself immerce in the water, and he willingly followed me. I saw him wince a bit when the water hit his burns and still raw cuts, but soon he acclimated.

I swam to a part that was deep enough so that I could swim, but not all the way towards the center where the water was getting colder. We floated around for a bit, letting the water soothe us. Dimitri had an almost serene expression on his face, and I practically could see all his trouble wash off of him. I wonder how long it had been since he had a bath.

When we first arrived, he had washed himself, but mostly with a cloth. If he had bathed then he would have drowned, because he didn't have the strength to swim. He had been dirty, but I would have expected much worse if he hadn't been able to clean himself for four months.

But with the water, all the blood and soot washed away, and I could see him coming back to himself just a little bit. He told me the old Dimitri was gone, and although I knew he would never be the same, he did become more and more himself each day.

I swam towards him and started to splash a little water his way. It was time to get a little active. I swam away after I had splashed him and he would have to follow me. After he was over the shock of me dumping a gallon of water in his face, he set off in his pursuit. He was still slow, but he was a hundred percent better than a few days ago. I kept evading him until I heard his breathing increase. His loss of stamina hadn't been able to make up for his longer strides, but he had gotten close a few times.

I came close again, and he swam a little backwards with a smile on his face, anticipating another tidal wave.

"I'll be good I promise," I said with a pout.

I swam towards him wiping his face and kissed him on the cheek as a peace offering. Well, it was first his cheek, then as I moved a little towards his lips and he met me halfway. And like before it immediately went to passionate and desperate. I slid my tongue inside, and I was happy to note that he eagerly took it, sucking on it and caressing it with his own. I pulled myself up a little on his neck and wrapped my legs around him, and entwined my fingers into his hair. He supported my back and ass with his big hands.

I started to unconsciously grind my hips against his body, and I could feel him enlarge underneath me. I let go of his lips for a moment to gasp and moan. I shouldn't have because he pulled back a little and winced.

"Rose, I am not sure… I don't know if I am capable of… anything like this yet."

I know he was in no physical condition to take me the way he used to. And honestly, I hadn't planned on it. I knew he could barely walk straight and he still had the bruised or broken ribs. Maybe he could lie in bed, and I could ride him? He wouldn't have to do anything. But those were thoughts for later, because as much as I wanted to believe Dimitri was referring to his physical condition, I knew he meant he wasn't ready emotionally. He had gotten better the last few days; he hadn't demanded I leave him because he was nothing. But there was still unsaid phrase in his mind. 'I am not worth your affections, I am not worth anything.' He was denying himself any kind of relief or happiness, because he didn't think he deserved it. He thought he had been weak, he blamed himself for the village he burned.

It is funny, because I had had those exact same thoughts. I had thought I had been weak with Jesse where Dimitri had seen only strength. With Viktor I believed I was a monster, but he only saw an innocent. And now the tables were turned and I needed to convince him how I saw him. As a survivor.

I smiled and looked up at him. I knew having sex with him was pushing it. I didn't need him to be self-conscious about one more thing.

"Don't worry, I just wanted to have a swim, I am willing to wait as long as it takes."

I saw him visibly relax. But as much as I wanted to give him the space he needed, I also needed him to know that although I was willing to wait, I wasn't going to make it easy on him. He needed to be pushed a little. Otherwise, he would stay in this self-proclaimed darkness forever.

"But, it has been four months, so I do need some release every now and then. I hope you don't mind."

I swam towards a part where I could stand and ran my fingers down my breasts and under the surface of the water. The water was clear enough so Dimitri could follow its trail, right down between my legs. I saw his eyes widen, and his eyes glaze over in lust. Good, exactly the reaction I wanted.

My finger found my sensitive nub, and I started to circle it. Honestly, it had been four months. Somehow pleasuring myself with Christian lying next to me, just didn't do it for me. So even though I had wanted to trigger Dimitri a bit, I was soon lost to my own ministration.

My breathing became heavier, and I couldn't help but let out small moans. I switched between touching my clit and running my fingers between my folds and inserting them inside. I had one hand between my legs, and my other was massaging my breast.

I increased the pace already nearing desperation when I looked at Dimitri. His cock was hard, and the tip was just above the water. I could see his hand wrapped around it. He was unsure of how to proceed. His body told him one thing, his mind another. So I decided to help him along.

Reluctantly, I let go of myself and walked over to him. I put my hand around his hand, and together we moved our hands up and down his shaft. Once he had a steady rhythm, I let go and returned to my own pleasure. I looked down at the movements of his hands and his turgid member. I couldn't deny I had missed that too and that I was desperate to have it inside of me again. But I had to remind myself to take baby steps, frustrating and almost painful, baby steps.

I stayed close to him so he could see how four months without him had affected me. I had to steady myself using his body by putting my hand on his shoulder as the other was rubbing myself vigorously. I was so close. I had closed my eyes to experience the sensation to its fullest, but opened them as I felt long fingers enter me. The look on his face combined with his fingers inserted inside of me was more than enough, and I came hard on his fingers while praising his name. He slowly brought me down from my much-needed orgasm, and when I was able to focus again I saw he had stopped touching himself. Obviously, he had used one hand to pleasure me, but that one was free again. But now that I was satisfied, he seemed unsure of how to proceed even though the small drop of pre-cum on his tip clearly told me what his body wanted.

I grabbed his hand and led him towards the bedrock beside the lake.

"Lay down."

I saw he wanted to protest. Something about not being ready for sex. But once I was positioned my head between his legs, his protest died on his lips.

I licked the pearly drop off of his tip and heard him hiss. I imagine it had been four months for him too. Or Galina had some weird idea of torture, although I could think of a thing or two you could do in that area, but was somewhat pleased to see Galina had shied away from that.

How he had any restraint not to take himself in his hand and come in the water, I didn't know. Once I had touched myself, there was no going back for me.

I swirled my tongue around his tip and wrapped my hand around the base and started to lower my lips and mouth onto him. I couldn't go that far, but used my hands to continue the rest of the motion, occasionally touching his balls, something that earned me a buck from his hips. I swirled my tongue around and sucked at the same time, creating a small vacuum. I teased the tip, I licked the ridge, it really didn't matter what I did, everything earned me a moan, a hiss or a buck. He had long relinquished any pretense of not wanting this, and had his hands firmly wrapped in my hair and with each suck, he pulled me down a little and pushed his hips up a bit.

"Roza, I am close."

I gave him one more suck as I forcefully pulled back letting his tip leave my mouth with a pop. I used my hand to move up and down fast for a few more strokes before I was rewarded with my name on his lips and his cum on my face.

I looked up from his groan towards his face and saw a blissed-out Dimitri smiling gently at me. I moved over to give him a kiss, but thought better off it when a clump of cum fell on his chest.

"Well, I guess another bath is in order."

And with my hand holding his we returned to the lake, where we spend most of the afternoon, swimming, kissing, drifting and most of all healing.


	41. Chapter 41

DPOV

Not all change is bad. Some changes are good even if the events that lead to them were horrible.

It had been about a week since I was freed and I felt more like myself every day. I hadn't realized how my broken body had made me feel vulnerable and powerless and with it went my confidence and my identity. But as my body was healing, so was my mind, although Rose had a lot to do with that too.

At first, I hadn't been able to accept her again. I felt worthless, and I couldn't imagine her still loving me or even wanting to be with me. I thought she was simply here out of obligation or some naïve illusion I was still her Dimitri. But I should have known better. And even if I still didn't think I deserved her, I was selfishly holding on to this happiness as long as I could.

Because as much as I wanted to deny it, Rose made me happy.

She was patient but still pushed me when I needed to be pushed. I felt horribly inadequate, but her loving gaze towards me and how she saw a strong person that had endured and survived was slowly convincing me that maybe I wasn't lost after all.

Rose, the one piece of myself that Galina hadn't taken from me, was the key to getting all the other pieces back. And for the first time since I had gotten free, I was starting to see that this might bring us closer instead of tearing us apart.

And as I was lying in bed with her now, after we finally really slept together last night, I started to entertain the idea that I might claim her after all. I was still a long way off doing it. And even though she had pretty much consented before this, I would give her some time to decide if this broken version of Dimitri would be enough for her. But I was thinking of the future. I had a future. I was looking forward to the next day and the next, whereas a week ago, I was on the verge of begging for death.

She was still asleep cuddled up on my chest, naked. I recalled last night. My ribs and stamina were far from ideal for that kind of activity, but Rose had found a nice workaround, and I must say that her on top would do for now until I was strong enough to take over. But even though it hurt a little to have her pressed against me, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

It was another half an hour before she started to stir. Groggily she got up and looked at me. Her hair was wild and tousled, and the smile on her face was evidence of the satisfaction I provided her last night.

"Morning Comrade. Sleep okay, I hope I didn't squish your ribs too much."

 _You did, but it was worth it._

"Not at all."

I tried to keep my lie convincing, but I couldn't help the small wince when I got out of bed, and I knew Rose had caught it. But she let it go and simply shook her head.

"Come on, let's get some breakfast."

I knew Rose wasn't the same person she was four months ago either. She had aged, not in her looks, but in her eyes. Part of that was Mason and the war, but I also knew she had to make some hard decisions along the way to find me. There was also something calm about her that hadn't been there before.

When I thought she was human there was something out of sorts with her. As a hybrid, she was unruly at best, but now it was like she had grown into the person she was meant to be. Her personality was still wild and rebellious, but her energy was calm and serene. I could only imagine it was from controlling her flame.

But maybe the thing I noticed most and was the most surprising is that she seemed to be able to cook now. She cooked breakfast, and I greedily gulped it down. I could recognize some of Christian's handy work in it, and I guess she had to have picked up on something after she spent four months with him.

"I was thinking, that if you are up to it, we could maybe go to town today and see Christian and Lissa."

She asked the questions as if either way was fine with her, but I could tell she was eager to see her friend again. And honestly I didn't mind going to see Lissa and Christian. Certainly a human setting would be a nice distraction, but I wasn't sure I could face Viktoria yet. No doubt she had heard of my disappearance and my likely demise. She had always idolized me, but I was a far cry from the big brother she knew. Rose looked at me and a gentle smile graced her face.

"Viktoria went home when Christian arrived. Christian is more than enough to protect Lissa. She also doesn't know you are here. Christian's and my disappearance isn't widely known. Something Stan has been able to get under wraps in hopes that Christian won't be prosecuted as a deserter. So as far as the world knows, General Dimitri disappeared in the line of duty four months ago, and Christian and I are on a special mission."

I visibly relaxed at her words.

"I thought maybe we could get a pair of horses if you are strong enough to ride."

I chuckled. Good luck with that. I knew she was trying to spare me the flight there with her on my back. But either we walked, or we fly. Horses weren't going to work.

"Horses recognize us for the predator that we are. As a Dragon, you can't ride a horse. And I imagine that now that your powers aren't bound anymore, you can't ride one either."

I saw she was considering my words. As a Dragon not being able to ride a horse was a small inconvenience, but for a humanoid hybrid like Rose, it would hinder her movements a lot. She would have to walk or ride a coach to get anywhere that was a large distance away. But after I saw she had thought it over she smiled.

"I'd rather ride a Dragon anyway."

Then she thought of the consequences of our trip to town now.

"I mean if you aren't up to flying with me, I could walk."

She could walk, we had done it before, but it would take several hours.

I leaned and pulled her close.

"You weigh nothing Roza, If I can fly the distance, I can carry you. Besides I'd like to spread my wings, it has been a while."

Of course, my bravado was my downfall. I had made it to the edge of town with her on my back, but barely. My wings felt stiff from months of disuse, my stamina was appalling, and this short distance had me gasping for breath.

After Rose had dismounted, she patted me on the back.

"It will get better."

I smiled as I transformed and put some clothes on. There wasn't any pity in her voice, only understanding and encouragement and it was just what I needed.

We walked into town together holding hands. We sent off a clear message to the world that we were together. Some people recognized Rose and stared. It took some of them a few seconds before they recognized her. Even if they hadn't known about her transformation, somehow they could see it.

Rose let us to the palace, and we were shown inside. It wasn't until we reached Lissa's private chambers that somebody protested my presence.

Rose simply waived them off with, "He is with me, and he is Viktoria's older brother."

I didn't quite like the look on the guards' faces when Rose mentioned Viktoria. I hadn't heard anything from her time here, but apparently she had made an impression.

The guards opened the door, and Rose was immediately tackled by a slim form with a blur of blonde hair.

"Oh Rose, I was so worried. I hadn't heard from you in ages. You and Christian were just gone."

Then she got up and slapped Rose on the arm. It was meant to be playful, but I think there was some actual aggression hidden in the move.

"How could you! For months I was worried, and neither of you bothered to send me word you were still alive. I couldn't sleep or eat not knowing what happened to my best friend and my boyfriend."

I saw Rose roll her eyes as Lissa was just turned away accusing Christian and by the looks of it, it hadn't been his first time either.

I heard Rose mumble something sarcastic like Lissa had it the worst and I would have to agree. Although I knew it must not have been easy, Lissa was hardly the one to complain in present company.

"Next time Liss, when I make your boyfriend desert the military, and we go in deep silence to track Snow Dragons and rescue my lover from being tortured, I'll be sure to keep you updated."

Christian walked up to me and shook my hand, both in greeting and to change the subject.

"You look better."

"I feel better," I replied.

He led me to the sitting area, and we talked while the girls were still arguing.

"So are you sure you still want to go through with the spell?" I asked jokingly. Lissa had obviously chastised him a few times over the past few days.

But as his lips turned into a radiant smile, I had my answer.

"No doubt about it. What about you? Are you planning to make Rose a permanent thing?"

I know his question hadn't been meant to be loaded. I am sure that Christian thought me and Rose were a sure thing. But I think the lack of smile on my face told him, that that was a complicated question.

"I swear Liss; sometimes you really are a princess."

Rose sat down next to me with a humph. Lissa sat down next to Christian with a scowl on her face. But as permanent as it had seemed a moment ago, it was now replaced with a sweet and pleasant smile as she turned to me. Lissa truly was a diplomat, or a sociopath.

"Dimitri, I am glad to see you are doing well. I am sorry for what happened."

"Thank you. I am sorry it kept Christian and Rose away from you for so long."

She waved her hand in the air, dismissing my statement.

"Oh nonsense, they were right to try and find you. I am glad they succeeded."

Rose was about to get into another fit with Lissa, but I strategically placed my hand on hers in an attempt to calm her down.

"So any contact with the military yet?" I asked Christian.

He nodded.

"I had contact with Stan, they have seen a dramatic drop in engagements and most of the Snow Dragons are running back to the north. They seem to be easy pickings now that Galina is gone. I think it is over. I think we won. We won't know for sure until Tatiana gives the official call, but I think it is over."

I let go of a breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.

"Any word on casualties?"

"Minor losses, but we had predicted much worse. We will all feel the loss of friends and family, but overall it has been a successful campaign."

I looked over towards Rose. In a large part, she had been responsible for ending this war. I knew Yeva had been right to send her with me. In the fires of war, she was forced into a true soldier, and I couldn't be more proud.

"So what happens now? With you two I mean. You both have different lives, Rose here with me, and Dimitri at court."

I was liking Lissa less and less; she seemed to have an uncanny ability to hit the nail on its head. I looked towards Rose, but she had a smile plastered on her face.

"We will make it work. With Christian around, you won't need me twenty-four seven. And you'll be spending time with Christian in his home and probably court too. I know we have to figure out the specifics, but bottom line is I am staying with Dimitri. Besides, I hear that Viktoria fits right in. She could cover for me."

This sent the girls into another fit. Lissa was accusing Rose of abandoning her and choosing her new life over her old one. Christian seemed unperturbed by their shouting and turned to me.

"Do you know if Viktoria really liked it here?" I asked.

He shrugged.

"From what I hear, she loved it here. Lissa likes her a lot too. I know everyone would agree if Viktoria wanted to make this a permanent thing."

I looked over towards the girls, who seemed to be in a shouting match and raised my eyebrow.

"So why are they fighting then?"

Christian shrugged.

"I think it is their way of processing things. Women, you know."

I laughed. Not just because of the situation, but he sounded a lot like Adrian right now.

It was dark before we left to go back to the cave. Rose had promised Lissa she would be back soon and that she would visit regularly and once the dust had settled on the war, that she would return and work something out between them.

I knew Rose could never give Lissa up, but I was glad to see that she was standing up for what she wanted too.

But before that could happen, a lot had to be taken care off. As if she could read my mind Rose spoke.

"We will have to go back to court soon."

I knew she was right. For one, I needed to see my family. Somehow I was dreading that part. But I also needed people to know I was still alive. I needed to be General Dimitri the Honorable again. Somehow simply being 'Comrade' was much easier.

We landed outside my cave and silently went inside. The gloom of us having to face reality sometimes was hanging over us.

"How about we see how you are doing in a weeks' time. They managed without you for four months; they can do it for an extra couple of days."

I liked that idea. I knew a week wasn't long, but it was a good timeframe to recover, prepare myself mentally and put some pressure on. I wish we could stay here forever and just forget about the rest of the world. But as always our duties came first.

"That sounds good. But I intend to use the downtime to my advantage."

I lifted one eyebrow, and I could tell Rose was figuring out if I meant to sound dirty. I had. And with the last of my strength, I picked her up and carried her over my shoulders to our bed. She giggled the whole way until her giggles were converted to moans and 'oh my Gods.'

The next week we flew towards court. It would be pushing it a bit, but I knew I could make the flight. Rose had me training pretty hard. Between swimming, flying short distances and other amorous activities to boost my stamina, I had improved a lot over the last few days.

I even enjoyed flying again. It had been hard before to just leisurely glide across the wind when even staying in the air required all my strength. But the first half of the flight was nice. The second half was harder, and I made it just before I was about to fall out of the sky.

Of course, I couldn't let people at court know that. So I gracefully landed and transformed after Rose had dismounted. To the public, it looked like I was being polite to Rose, but in truth, I didn't have the strength to maintain my Dragon form.

Rose ignored all the staring people, and I followed her lead. It was a little quieter inside the mountain.

"So where do you want to go first. See your family, see Tatiana, or go to your room and hide and hope nobody has noticed you?"

I chuckled. I would prefer the latter, but I also realized that wasn't going to happen.

"Official stuff first?" I said, and I could see her look confused. I am sure she thought I would have picked my family first. But I knew if I went to my mother she wouldn't let me go… ever. So I might as well announce that the rumors of my death were greatly exaggerated.

The staring didn't stop all the way through to the war room. Rose talked to me pretending me being here was perfectly normal, but people were unconvinced I wasn't a ghost.

I walked into the war room, and you could have heard a pin drop. One of the older Dragons even dropped his cup of coffee. Tatiana, some older Generals and some senior lieutenants including Stan were standing around the large rock which held the map.

Stan smiled when he saw me. There was a first for everything.

"Well, I'll be damned. She actually did it."

Rose stood beside me and placed her hands on her hips in a signature Rose way.

"Oh Stan, Ye of little faith. Of course I did it."

He shook his head, but his smile remained firmly plastered on his face.

"So can either of you shed some light on recent Snow Dragon developments at the front? Activity has stopped, and most of them are running."

Rose and I walked over to map and looked at the distribution of troops on our side and the scattered pieces indicating Snow Dragons close to the border.

"I imagine they are running now that Galina is dead," Rose said.

I could see all the Dragons in the room look confused.

I heard one of them ask who Galina was, but soon the answer came in the form of that traitorous half-breed bitch, and I could see everyone remembered Galina.

"She was leading the Snow Dragons?" Stan asked, and Rose and I nodded.

"She was the one who took me. She thought that if she could break me and show that to our troops they would lose their nerve and bow down to her," I said trying to keep my voice even.

"So what happened to her?" Stan asked.

Rose shrugged.

"I killed her." She wasn't exactly boasting, she said it as a statement. But now that everyone remembered Galina, Rose stating that she simply killed her meant everyone was gawking at her. You don't just kill Galina. She was considered one of the best. Killing her seemed as unlikely to them as killing me. Rose realized her statement needed a bit more elaboration.

"She was in my way. She didn't see me coming. Snow Dragons tend to underestimate me because they consider me human. I killed a lot of them that way."

Stan took a step forward.

"Exactly how many did you kill, Rose, since you left?" Stan asked very hesitantly. I think he knew the answer, but was afraid to hear it.

Rose just shrugged again.

"A few. Christian and I tracked Snow Dragons from the northern border to the southern desert.

Stan's eyes widened a bit.

"That was you?"

"What was me?" Rose asked innocently.

"Snow Dragons were practically fleeing back across the Northern border. Something about a lethal but beautiful human girl that could make you tell her everything before she took your life. They called you the skeleton key - because you could unlock every secret. They claimed you were sent by the devil himself and carried dark magic."

I realized I had no idea what Rose had actually done in those four months. She had said she did horrible things to find me, but I had no idea what those things entailed, but if Snow Dragons made her into a legend that you run away from, I might need to ask her about it.

"They are clearly exaggerating. I mostly just got the information I needed. I always told the next victim that I could make them sing like a canary, but I was bluffing. I don't want to know anything about them. And I merely channeled a bit of heat through my blade. If they are already complaining about that, they were pussies to begin with."

That made Stan laugh, while the rest of the Dragons simply stared, gawked and took a step back from Rose. The sight was almost comical. Huge Dragons, at least ten of them, backing up from a tiny human girl. But that was Rose. She might as well have been called Rose the Lethal, or Rose the Unexpected.

"Well long story short, they are gone. And with their leaders dead, I doubt they will be coming back soon. We might need to spread the word that the skeleton key is on our side," said Stan and everyone else nodded.

"So it is really over?" I asked trying not to sound like a hatchling.

Tatiana stepped forward and held her head high. She placed her hand on the map as if claiming the piece of paper also claimed the land it represented.

"Yes, the war is over, and we were victorious. Because of you and this little hybrid."


	42. Chapter 42

RPOV

I could visibly see the weight being lifted from Dimitri. He seemed to have grown a few inches since Tatiana had declared the war over. Maybe that was what he needed to fully move on? For all of this to be over, and us to continue with our lives.

And part of that was facing his family. The closer we got to his mother's quarters, the more nervous he became.

He stopped a few feet from the entrance.

"What's wrong?"

He took a few breaths, but it didn't seem to calm his nerves.

"What if they despise me for what I did to that village? My mother and sisters, especially Karolina, have always had a great respect for humans and what I did was… monstrous."

I took his hand in mine and found it was shaking. I rubbed my fingers over it to try and calm him down.

"That wasn't you. You were confused and hurt. Your mother will be nothing but happy to see you. To know that her son is alive and returned home… Besides, you don't have to mention it in the first minute. You can tell them when you are ready."

He squeezed my hand, and walked forwards never letting go of me.

His mother and sister Sonya were sitting down, and Sonya had a tiny Dragon on her lap. Karolina was standing making something that looked like tea. A small Dragon was on the ground and seemed to be playing. When they noticed someone had come in, all eyes were on us. Well on Dimitri. Karolina dropped the cup of tea she was holding, and Sonya nearly fell off her rock, with baby and all. It was Olena that got up first and ran to her son and hugged him. He was in human form, so his mother transformed halfway to accommodate his human form.

The scene was touching, but somehow I couldn't help but stare at the naked form of my boyfriend's mother. Not a sight you see every day. But I was going to have to get used to it. Humans were prudes in the eyes of Dragons.

But hybrid or not, I averted my gaze once Sonya and Karolina followed and both transformed into humans. After some long hugs, the women turned to me and I tried very hard to look at their eyes and not to blush.

"Mama, can you put some clothes on if you are going to be in human form? You two as well."

They looked down at themselves as if they didn't realize they were naked. But they obeyed Dimitri and put some clothes on.

Karolina made a new batch of tea, and we sat down.

"We got word that you were missing in action," his mother said.

"I was," Dimitri replied.

"What happened?"

Dimitri looked over at me and grabbed my hand and took it in his own.

"Roza saved me. Galina, you remember Galina, she had taken me captive wanting to make an example out of me. She thought that if I fell, the entire military would fall. But Rose saved me."

"I told you she would be vital in this war and for you." Yeva walked in and announced to every one that she had been right about her prediction. You would think that her grandson returning would be more important than making sure everyone knew you were right, but at least she was in human form with some clothes on. I don't think I could have handled a naked Yeva.

"Yes you did Babushka, and you were right. Rose saving me and killing Galina ended the war. She was amazing. She never gave up, and took down so many Snow Dragons. She was beautiful in battle, like the sun."

I blushed a little at his intense gaze. Whenever he would mention me being all flame, he always had this dreamy look in his eyes. I suppose that was the first moment of light and warmth he had had in four months, so it was a special moment for him. It was the first moment I had seen him in all that time, so it was a special moment for me too.

We heard a shriek and turned around to where the high-pitched noise was emanating from. I didn't know Dragons could pale when they were in their Dragon form. With humans, you could see the blood drain from their pink skin, but apparently, it worked the same with Dragons and their scales. Because before us was a very pale scaled Viktoria whose claw was covering her snout.

Maybe her time with humans had taught her it was considered strange, if not rude, to appear naked in front of them, because she hugged Dimitri in her Dragon form while he was human. Noticing everyone else but the kids were in human form, she quickly excused herself and went to change. When she got back she gave me a big hug too.

But when she turned back her face was stormy, to say the least.

"How long have you been back? Is that why Christian relieved me of my duties? That was two weeks ago. You mean to tell me you knew he was alive and safe for two weeks and didn't bother to tell me. And you…" she said turning to Dimitri. "We have been worried sick! Mama has been crying none stop, and it didn't occur to you to send a message, 'oh by the way, I am alive and safe, see you in a bit.' What is wrong with you two?"

While his mother and his older sisters had taken one look at Dimitri and knew he had been through a lot and had respected the space he had needed before coming to him, Viktoria was utterly clueless. I could see Dimitri cringe a little bit with each word. I was afraid this would set him back again, but when she was finished, he smiled and took her in a big hug.

"I am sorry, little sis, I didn't mean to worry you. But I was still healing and thought it better to come here when I was physically in a position to do so."

Viktoria's eyes widened in realization that he hadn't just been missing. In her mind, he had simply vanished of the face of the earth and now reappeared. I could see guilt on her face now that she realized that those four months must not have been pleasant if he was physically unable to fly here. To her, her brother could do anything and for him to admit to weakness told her how severe the situation had been.

I tried to lighten the mood a little by asking how things had been with Lissa and being human for a few months. I wish I hadn't; it ensured a waterfall of words.

"It was amazing. Lissa is so nice and so are the other girls. We went shopping a lot, and that place is amazing. There was one incident where I had to deal with this jerk of a Royal, Zelko or whatever, but I handled it. His pretty face is a little less pretty. Anyway, it was nice, and I liked being human. I think some of the guards fancy me a little. Not that I would take a human up on his advances… I mean…" She realized that she had just insulted mine and Dimitri's relationship when we both thought I was still human and the current relationship between Lissa and Christian.

"Not that there is anything wrong with that, it is just weird… I mean, harder… I mean."

"Oh for the love of God, Vika stop talking," Sonya said and we were all grateful. It had gotten awkward.

"What is going to happen to Lissa and Christian?" Viktoria asked to no one in particular.

"He paid his debt to me, I'll perform the longevity spell. What happens with them after that is up to them," Yeva interjected.

"What about you two? Are you going back to guard Lissa now?" For someone who was completely oblivious to other people's feelings, she sure knew how to pick out the sore spot.

Dimitri grabbed my hand and squeezed it tight.

"We aren't sure. Lissa has Christian now, so won't need around the clock protection. But both me and Christian still have responsibilities here. The war might be over, but there is a lot of cleaning up to do. I imagine we will be spending a bit of time in both worlds. Trying to be together when we can."

It had been on my mind constantly. I didn't want to disappoint Lissa; I also didn't want to leave Dimitri. I suppose we would be part here and part there. I was glad to know that Viktoria had had a nice time, so she could be back-up when we would all have to be here. And maybe with Lissa being with Christian, she would come with us here as well. The residents here had adapted to me well enough. I think to adapt to a full human wouldn't be such a stretch either. I would be dependent on other Dragons to move around, now that Dimitri had informed me horses would no longer tolerate me. But on the back of a Dragon, I suppose the distances between court, Lissa's palace and Dimitri's cave were short.

We chatted a bit after that, about little things, like Sonya's hatchling and Karolina's kids. Occasionally one of them would ask something about what happened in those four months, but Dimitri's answers were short, and they soon knew not to bring it up.

I know he had been nervous to see his family again, to be part of his community again, but I think it is what he needed. Because when we walked back to his chambers here at court, he was smiling.

When we entered the space, he pulled me to him and immediately attacked my mouth. His hands were all over the place running up and down my body. We had been intimate these last two weeks, but it had been a while since he was this bold and this confident. Unfortunately, a throat being cleared stopped us.

We looked over to who was in the room and I saw Stan and Adrian staring at us. We pulled away from each other, and I straightened out my dress.

"And here I thought that you had been missing in actions for four months. Now I understand what kind of action." Adrian joked.

I was a little afraid that Dimitri might take it the wrong way, but he smiled at his cousin and pulled me closer.

"And don't you forget it," Dimitri replied, holding his cousin's gaze and marking his turf.

I rolled my eyes as I turned to Stan.

"So what are you two doing here? Not that you are not welcome here of course, but there were other items of business on the agenda."

Stan chuckled and motioned for us to sit down.

"I wanted to discuss the matter of you and Christian. In the chaos of war, there wasn't much said about it, but I think now that it is over, people are going to start asking questions. Seeing as you and Christian helped win this war, by targeting Galina, I think we can spin it to our advantage. It is also why I asked Adrian here. The order to go after Galina had to come from somewhere, and I think Adrian could play that role."

Dimitri was staying quiet. I knew he felt guilty for making his friend desert the military, and I knew he would bear the weight if it came to consequences.

"How would you explain the splitting of the squad? It would have made more sense for all of us to go on such a high-risk mission," I asked directing my question to Stan, seeing as Adrian probably didn't have much input anyway.

"We still had a mission to complete as a squad, so I made the decision based on renewed orders from Adrian to send only two. Seeing as the two of you could move swiftly and silently across great distances and that Snow Dragons would constantly underestimate you two because you aren't trained Dragon warriors."

Which is exactly what happened, but I also knew based on the look on Stan's face there was another reason he would say specifically us.

"And I think people care less if you two died, so sending you two on a dangerous mission would turn less heads."

Aaaand there it was. Great to know I was valued. Maybe they will think different of us now that we pretty much saved everyone and ended the war.

"And when did you get orders from court? When did you have time between the ten minutes I stood debating going after Dimitri to contact court, explain the situation and your hunch about Dimitri and the leader being connected, getting an official order for us to go after Galina and instructing us to do so?"

He smiled.

"Well, that is where the lying comes in. It took several days, three to be exact and you left on the eve of the third day. You had both been diligently at our side and obeying every order."

I had to giggle.

"Oh what a good little soldier I have been."

Stan had a hard time keeping his laughter in and was almost choking.

"As long as we all just stick to that story, the two of you should be fine," Adrian said, taking over for Stan, who was still struggling to breathe.

"Got it. Now get out," I said already lifting Dimitri's shirt.

Stan got up and put his claw on Dimitri's shoulder.

"I am glad she disobeyed me and got you back."

Dimitri gave a respectful nod.

"Thank you for looking after my squad and doing this for Rose and Christian," he replied.

I could tell Dimitri was much better, because when I looked at the two Dragons, one in human form and one in an impressive Dragon form, I could have sworn the man in human form looked bigger. But maybe that was because Stan was showing Dimitri the respect he deserved and had a submissive stance, while Dimitri seemed to be able to accept the respect of his peer for the first time since Galina, return the favor and regain the position as top dog in the military. The man could communicate so much in a single gesture.

After Stan had left, Adrian walked up to Dimitri. He was eyeing him carefully. I doubt it had escaped Adrian's attention that Dimitri had taken a beating at the hands of Galina.

He engulfed his cousin in a hug.

"I am glad you are back. I really don't know what I would do without you."

I nearly cried the scene was so touching. Adrian is flippant on a good day, but here he showed his true colors. He was kind and had feared for the life of his cousin. He also gave him purpose again. People depended on Dimitri, and Dimitri was the kind of man that needs that to thrive. Dimitri hugged him back, and I don't think either of them had been so affectionate to one another in the past. War can drive people apart, and it hurts many people, but it also makes you grateful to be alive.

"I'll let you two get back to your…business."

He wiggled the scales above his eye as he left the cave. And Dimitri wasted no time to go back to where we left off.

And what a night it had turned out to be. With renewed vigor, he had taken me over and over again, yet somehow neither of us was satiated. Eventually our need for each other was outranked by the need for sleep, but still we clung to each other while we slumbered.

I woke up in the morning while Dimitri was still sound asleep. I decided I wanted to wake him up with a smile. Also, I was curious to see how long it would take for him to wake up. So I slipped beneath the furs and wound my hand around his cock. His morning wood made it very easy to execute my plan, and I lowered my lips onto him and gently twirled my tongue around. I started slow, seeing how much or how little it took to wake him up. I heard a moan and a small 'Roza', but when I looked up to see if he was awake, he was still blissfully asleep, but with a smile on his face. He must be dreaming of me doing this to him then.

I stepped up my game and sucked a little harder, sliding my tongue over his slit and pulling a little harder with my hand. His moans got louder, but still he remained in the land of dreams.

It took me fondling his balls and hollowing out my mouth, while sucking to finally get him to wake up.

When he did, he seemed a little confused. He lifted the furs, looking down on me with his cock in his mouth.

"Roza? What are you doing?"

I smiled as best as I could with my mouth full.

"Waking you up… pleasantly I hope."

He lifted his eyebrow but then put one hand behind his head and used the other to lower the furs again. I was covered, but I didn't mind. It made this naughty. Like I was hiding underneath while secretly pleasuring him.

I could tell he was getting close. His thighs started to flex, and his hips started to buck up every time I inhaled and sucked. His groans were increasing in volume and frequency. There were some noises in the background, but for the sake of his pleasure, I ignored the voices.

"You can't just walk in there."

"Of course I can. Somebody should have told me he was safe and sound and back. He will want to see me."

Judging by the self-important voice and the fact that Dimitri stilled every movement, I think Tasha just walked in, and I think the other voice warning her not to go in had belonged to Adrian.

I had no idea what was going on above the cover, but I wasn't going to let Tasha or Adrian ruin our wonderful morning. Dimitri was so close, so I kept going. I swirled my tongue over the tip and took one deep long suck while touching the back of his balls, and he blew. I had no idea what was going on on top of the covers, but everything was silent bar Dimitri's guttural groan as he released in my mouth. For good measure I sucked up every last bit before emerging from the covers, making sure both our modesties were protected.

I looked at Dimitri first and saw a mixture of pure rage and complete satisfaction because I made him come but in front of his cousin and a friend.

Then I looked toward Tasha and Adrian. Adrian's lips were tucked up in the corner, and he was trying hard to keep a straight face. Tasha was turning red, which was an odd color in a Dragon's face. But I suppose that if Dragons could look pale, they could also look flustered.

I wondered if Dragons actually did blowjobs? I would imagine they occasionally did it in human form. But in their true form, I think it would be difficult. Not only was the mechanics of a Dragon on his back and one between his legs harder, I also would imagine that the teeth Dragons had in their natural form wouldn't be conducive to it being pleasurable. So I wondered how ingrained it is in the Dragons' sexual repertoire.

I wiped a little bit of cum from the corner of my lips and sucked it off my fingers.

"Adrian, Tasha. Good to see you."

Adrian finally erupted into a fit of laughter. Tasha looked absolutely livid. She was stuttering and pointing, but eventually pulled herself together and completely ignored me and directed herself towards Dimitri.

"Dimka, could we have a word in private?"

Dimitri's gaze darkened.

"What do you want Tasha?"

She crossed her arms over her chestplate, realizing that Dimitri wasn't going to have a private word with her.

"You need to talk to Tatiana. Now that the war is over I told her again and again, we need more special warriors in the military. Dragons that specialize in a certain area of expertise other than brute force. Warriors like me and Christian. But she still refuses to listen, saying she will look into it. What more does she need? I heard Christian killed the two leaders in the war. What more proof that we are worthy is she waiting for?"

Dimitri gripped the sheets on the bed, but I placed my hand over his in an attempt to calm him down. When I was satisfied he wouldn't burn down the place with his rage, I got up from the bed and strategically placed a sheet around me. I walked up to Tasha, along the way I took my blade from its resting place in the alcove next to the bed. I never went anywhere without it anymore.

I dropped the sheet and let the flames overtake me, turning me in the bright sun Dimitri had often called me.

"First of all, Tasha, Dimitri has been back for a day, after going through hell at the hand of Galina, so I would appreciate for you to give him some time to acclimate back into his life, before you bombard him with your childish temper tantrums about Tatiana. Secondly, although Christian was certainly helpful in the demise of both leaders…" I moved so fast she couldn't stop me and placed myself on her back and pointed the blade at the base of her spine, "I was the one who killed Isaiah and Galina. I placed the blade at her spine, just like this, and poof, she was gone."

I jumped off of her and in one movement let the flames go and wrapped the sheet around me again. I climbed on top of the rock again and snuggled close to Dimitri, who had a wicked smile on his face.

"But I do agree that both Christian and I aren't trained according to Dragon warrior protocol, and yet we were instrumental to the victory, so I will support the effort to let people like us enter the military and I am sure Dimitri will too… When we are done here. So shoo, shoo, get out of here. I believe it is my turn."

Adrian had to practically drag Tasha out of the cave as I straddled Dimitri's lap, practically pushing my cleavage in his face for him to fondle.

Once they were gone and the show was over, Dimitri pulled back a little and frowned at me.

"Roza, was that really necessary?"

"Which part?"

"The part where you didn't stop when they came in."

"Oh, that part. I was just marking my territory, and you really were so close, I figured you didn't want me to stop. Did you want me to stop?"

A low growl emanated from Dimitri, and with some imagination I think I heard the word no in there somewhere.

"But don't make it a habit of making me come in front of other people."

I giggled. His attempt at chastising me was cute and pathetic. Certainly when it was followed by him kissing me senseless.

We were so wrapped up in our lovemaking, neither of us realized that my blade was missing.


	43. Chapter 43

DPOV

We were lounging in bed. I was stroking her long silk locks and running my fingers down her back, occasionally letting my nails gently scrape her back. She rewarded me with goosebumps on her skin where my fingers had just traveled.

"Roza? Are asleep?"

"Hmm."

I chuckled. That answer could go either way.

I had been thinking about what she said this morning. She said she wanted to mark me in front of Tasha as a way to mark her territory, and I had done the same when I pulled her closer in front of Adrian. Now that I had most of my sanity back, I was thinking about the future. I still had no idea if I still could be or wanted to be 'General' Dimitri. But I knew one thing above anything else; I always wanted to wake up with Roza in my arms. Regardless of the rest of my life, I wanted to be her 'Comrade.'

"Roza? I don't know what our lives will look like, but I know I always want you in it."

She grunted a little as she struggled to wake up. She lifted her head and looked me in the eyes a little weary after a few hours of much-needed sleep. She rubbed her eyes, and I wondered if she even heard me, but when she was fully awake, she looked down at me lovingly.

"I want to be with you too."

I had to ask, even if the answer would kill me. I had to be sure.

"Even after everything, you are still convinced of that?" I practically whispered. As if uttering the words into the word almost silence would somehow change the answer to the question.

Her eyes held no doubt; she didn't waiver. She didn't hesitate for a single moment. All that emanated from her was the truest word in existence.

"Yes."

I smiled and flipped her onto her back, a new form of confidence overtaking me, fueled by the love of this beautiful creature I want to call my own.

"So if I were to mark you as my own for the rest of our lives, you wouldn't mind?"

She shook her head and bit the side of her lip.

"So you wouldn't object if I claim you in the most intimate way imaginable to a Dragon, human or hybrid?"

A vigorous headshake from Rose followed my words.

"So you don't mind, me claiming your body and putting my mark on you by burning you permanently which I understand is extremely painful and pleasurable at the same time?"

She shuddered when I mentioned pleasure and still nodded her approval.

Dragon claimings tended to run a little long. It was a vigorous exercise of many rounds of lovemaking and mind-blowing orgasms on both sides. Somewhere evolution had been smart enough to make sure that the pain that accompanied the special flame during claiming also induced an amazing amount of pleasure. I hadn't experienced it myself of course, but I hear the orgasms are like nothing you ever experienced and not anything you will experience again, for both of us. I just hoped it worked with hybrids as well.

"So you don't mind me spending the rest of the night claiming you? Because it will take the whole night. Are you up for it? Do you want this?" The last part I whispered, all my earlier confidence gone.

She grabbed my face and kissed me gently on the lips. After she pulled back, she had a brilliant smile on her face and eyes full of love.

"Yes, Comrade, I want this. I want you to claim me and make me yours forever, and I want to make you mine forever." She practically rolled her eyes at the last bit but also giggled. I knew I was asking again and again. But I needed to be sure. I needed her to be sure.

But if her words could not convince me, her pushing me onto my back, straddling me and kissing me vigorously certainly did.

The furs had left her shoulder and pooled around her hips, exposing her delicious soft and perky breasts, and no matter how romantic we were being, I still stared at them like a little boy.

"So how does this work?" I could see excitement but also a little apprehension on her face, evidenced by her lip pulled between her teeth.

I sat up and held her close, sucking on the spot near her ear.

"Now I kiss you."

She moaned slightly as I gently sucked on the skin beneath her ear. I moved down towards her collarbone and to her breasts. I took one nipple into my mouth, and made sure it peaked underneath my tongue. I ran my hands over her back moving down to her ass and squeezing it a little roughly.

Rose and I had made love together, and we had been brutal together, but tonight it would be a combination of both. The claiming process was both instinctual and primal as well as extremely intimate. I could already feel the flame heating up inside me to a point it never had before. Where my tongue traced her skin it left behind a bit of redness, but she didn't seem to mind, and the heat dissipated almost immediately.

After some light petting and much kissing, I picked her up and placed her down on top of the furs. For the next part, there wasn't anything necessary to cover her body with. I wanted her completely exposed to me, so I could see her full naked body. It was a piece of art, and my mark would have to compliment it.

I traced her body, inch by inch, kissing her and stroking her; inspecting every bit of her to see where I would place my mark. But every bit was better than the one before. When I licked her down between her legs, I had half a mind to mark her there, but part of the claiming was that others could see your mark and know that you were taken.

I turned her around and started the same process while she was on her stomach. I traced her back that dipped and then curved up into her ass. I wanted to mark every inch of her.

I slipped my hands between her legs and found her slick folds. She was already drenched and ready for me. But I knew the moment I entered her, the marking would begin, and I wanted to make sure that if I marked her forever it would look good.

She lifted her butt up a bit in an attempt to bring my fingers closer and deeper, or maybe she was looking for something else to fill her.

"Patience Roza. Patience."

"Fuck Patience."

I bent over and whispered in her ear.

"I wasn't planning on fucking patience. I had another object in mind."

She shuddered.

I groaned thinking about the many hours of sex we had ahead of us. Even if we had spent the last twenty-four hours doing just that. My cock was rock hard and strained between my legs. Every time I touched Rose, it would jump in excitement, or maybe protest that it wasn't yet inside of her. But it too had to learn patience.

I rubbed myself a little between her butt cheeks, trying to create a little friction in order to satisfy my cock a little. But it only seemed to spur it on as a little bit of precum leaked from the tip. I had no choice but to touch it. I had no choice but to wrap my hand around it and stroke a few times in order to abate the desperate need to fill her. I saw Rose had a similar problem as she slipped a hand underneath her stomach towards her core. She was still on her stomach, so it wasn't easy. But when she reached her node, I felt her entire body come to life and electrify.

"Please Dimitri."

The pleading was my undoing, knowing she was as desperate as I was to be joined. So I gently entered her. Well, tried to enter her gently; I might have been a little more forceful than I intended, but judging from the loud moan of pleasure coming from Rose, she didn't mind.

I started to move in and out of her. I was lying on top of her, covering her protectively like a cocoon. I used my arms to keep my weight off of her and moved around. I dipped down a little so I could kiss her neck.

But I was no longer just kissing her. I could see smoke coming from her body and although some of that heat was generated by Rose herself, as it always did when she was excited and horny, some of it was coming from the blackened skin underneath my tongue. Instinct took over, and even though I had never done this before and nobody had really explained this to me, I knew exactly what to do. And the image I wanted to mark her with came to mind. I started at the side of her neck, and I felt her squirm underneath me. Everywhere my tongue touched her skin, the skin blackened under the extreme heat. I licked down her neck and back, and crossed from her left shoulder to her right hip. Rose was gripping the sheets underneath us. I thought it may have been in pain, but she cried out loudly, and I felt her walls clench around my cock again and again, telling me the gripping was the result of an orgasm.

It was like our bodies were connected. I almost felt myself marking her through her. Our bodies were connected at a single point, and there the action seemed to transfer. It would initiate from my flame, transfer to her skin, moved down to her core where she would orgasm and transfer the same feeling to me. Despite being rather busy, trying to concentrate and still moving at a leisurely pace so I could mark her perfectly, I lost myself in the feeling and the connection to Rose. My cock strained and pulsed as it deposited the first load of seed deep inside of her. I had to stop for a moment as I climaxed, not wanting the image on her to become blurry because I was screaming her name.

It allowed us to take a much needed breathe before I continued my piece of art.

I flipped her around and re-entered her. I bent down and started to lick her side, connecting to the image on her back. I licked her towards her stomach and down to her hipbone. I had to stop there because I had to leave her warm and wet pussy to complete the image. My cock didn't seem to agree with me as it angrily jumped up and down after it had already gotten hard again after the first time. But I had to finish what I started. I licked down to her inner thigh and lifted her leg. I wrapped around her leg all the way to her toe. The moment I lifted my tongue from her toe, I could feel her body shudder again in climax and her hands grip the sheets again in an attempt to abate the intense feeling, without going insane.

I looked down at a blissed-out Rose, admiring my work. I had drawn a Dragon wrapped around her entire body, going from the side of her neck to her back, towards her stomach and the tail wrapping around her leg all the way to her toes.

I bent down and kissed her, this time not leaving a mark beside my own love. She pulled me closer and wrapped me in her embrace. She put a hand between us and grabbed my cock positioning it at her entrance. She moved her hip forward making me enter her. I groaned against her mouth. I moved fast and hard, driven by an all-consuming need to possess her over and over again. Our cries filled the alcove in my chambers, and it echoed off the walls, making our pleasure seem endless. I could only assume people could hear in the corridors, but I couldn't care less right now.

All that existed in this world right now where her and me, me and her, her body connected to mine and mine to hers. I wanted to delve deeper, to almost merge with her and never let go.

The sound of our bodies clashing became louder and more frequent. The swishing sound of our joined juices mixed with our moans and groans could be heard for miles I would reckon. I lifted her leg over my shoulder moving deeper. I was so close, and I could tell she was too. But part of me wanted to hold off the climax. Part of me never wanted this to end. This moment in time was perfect. The moment where she was mine forever.

But all my effort to prolong this moment were in vain as I felt my seed gather at the base. My balls squeezed and retracted, preparing to launch their content deep inside her womb. I sped up, my own body completely taken over by animal instinct. I growled and nipped, and I think I even bit her a bit as I finally released myself inside of her. It felt like I kept coming - the stream of my seed seemed never-ending. Perhaps because her own orgasm was milking my cock and it seemed to happily respond with more. Finally, I could feel myself stop pulsing and ejaculating. I felt both relieved as well as grieving the loss of that feeling already.

I plummeted towards Rose and tried very hard not to squish her under my weight, by lying just next to her.

"That was… I mean… I came like… Wow."

I chuckled. She looked down at herself as much as she could see the marking. She looked at me and smiled brilliantly.

"I love it."

Then her brows contorted in a bit of confusion. I saw she was thinking hard about something. I was amazing she could even think right now. My brain was fried and capable of only two thoughts. How amazing this had been and how my cock was already hard again to do it all over again the entire night long.

"What's wrong Roza?" I asked even though I was already gently rocking my hips against her, in an unconscious movement, brought on by desperation.

"Do women mark the men too? Do I have to mark you now?"

I smiled.

"Markings are usually male initiated and male-dominated. Some males will never be marked by their females, some get marked somewhere along the way by their mate. But it is up to you. I would love your mark on me."

She pushed me down on my back and straddled me. She hovered over my cock, standing tall and reaching for the ceiling and lowered herself on top of it slowly, agonizing slowly.

She was gently rocking her hips as she bent down. She licked my chest and my arm as if testing the terrain.

"I think I will mark you. Otherwise, I will just have to keep blowing you in front of people to stake my claim, and that will just get awkward."

She had a wicked smile on her face, telling me she hadn't minded all that much, and she would gladly do it again, marked or not.

I had never asked anyone how the females did their marking. Did they have the same urge as males and produce the extra hot flame? And did Rose have that because she is a hybrid? I was thinking it over when I felt it. The moment her tongue made contact with my skin. The burning of the skin was agonizingly painful, but the intensity of the feeling left me craving more of it. I felt the flame reach inside and join with my own, before moving on towards lower areas. She hadn't even been moving, but the flame seemed to simply expel my seed on command and I had to grip Rose's hips in order for me not to lift her off the bed with the power of my orgasm. Is this what it had felt for Rose a moment ago?

She had to push me down in order for me to remain where she wanted me and finish the mark. She was tracing my bicep towards my pecks and ended mid-chest. She had placed a Dragon over my heart, its wings extending to my pecks and arms with its tail moving over my shoulder towards the back a bit.

The moment she retracted her tongue from me, she started to vigorously move up and down. Her hands were near the mark, gripping my chest firmly for support.

Her breathing increased, and her moans and desperate pleas became louder and louder. I gripped the sides of her hips, trying to move with her, but the moment I touched her hipbone containing the mark, she threw her head back and her whole body straightened. She moved her hands slightly touching the mark she had left on me, and I joined her, the response immediate. It was like a lever; touch the mark and release.

Once we had landed back on earth, she was breathing heavily on me chest. She had released me from the confines of her pussy, and I was lazily lying next to her leg.

I was stroking her in a loving attempt, but when I accidentally touched her mark again, she moaned and started to rub her legs together. She pulled me on top of her again, and couldn't get me inside of her fast enough.

Now I understood how claimings could take all night. The mark itself had been rather quick, and if my own experience had matched Rose's in anyway, it was long enough. No one could bear that intense feeling for long, no matter how pleasurable. But every time I touched her mark, or she would touch mine, a small glimpse of that pleasure shot through us, and we couldn't help but to join again.

I don't even remember how many times I came that night or how long we were at it, but finally, the sensitivity of the markings had subsided a bit and we fell asleep exhausted.


	44. Chapter 44

RPOV

We finally were able to put some clothes on. I had opted for something wide and covering for a change. The markings were still very sensitive, although most of the lust-inducing powers were gone, it still felt a little sore and burned. So I opted for the softest material I could find.

When I put them on I was already missing the silk sheets and soft furs that would drape lightly over my body, but although lying in bed all day and sleeping certainly looked appealing, we had to get up and get something to eat and drink. We were strangely dehydrated and ravenous for food to say the least.

I thought back to last night with a smile. I would have to take a bath soon too. Most of the fluids we lost last night, were now sticking to my skin. Some places the surface cracked under the strain of my moving. I even smelled like sex, but second-hand in the morning was not much of a turn on.

But first things first, food and drink. Dimitri had put on a pair of pants, and I saw he was looking around for a comfortable shirt to wear, obviously experiencing the same difficulty with clothing I had.

Good, we share the pleasure, but we also share the pain.

He found a loose fitting one and gently pulled it over his head, wincing a bit when the material touched the marked skin.

I chuckled. "Imagine how I feel. That mark is covering my entire body. Good thing though that you didn't mark my ass, I wouldn't be able to sit for a while."

He laughed a full belly laugh as he walked over to me and smacked me on the bottom.

"I could still leave a mark there if you want," he whispered close to my ear, and I could hear his voice thick with lust again. Dragons truly were amazing. But even they had to eat and replenish.

I rubbed my ass a little. I think he did leave a mark when he smacked me, although I imagine this one would fade soon enough while the other couldn't be erased. I bet it is red now. I rubbed it again but didn't mind the slight sting. Dimitri was laughing; he was making jokes and walking around this place like he owned everything. He was standing tall, and he was all mine. Claiming me seemed to have had a positive effect. Galina be damned. I had my man back, and she was long dust.

I must have been staring at my new mate because looked at me a little confused.

"What are you staring at?"

I walked over to him and gently placed a small kiss on his cheek.

"You. You seem happy. And I am happy you are happy."

He smiled back and pulled me into a hug, being careful not to touch the mark too much. He leaned down and kissed me, a soft gentle but and oh, so intense kiss. It did feel different now that we had claimed each other. Like the connection between us was deeper. When I put my hand on his chest, carefully avoiding my beautiful masterpiece, I could feel his flame inside. It reached out towards me, and my own flames responded my extending as well. It really felt like we were no longer two people, but had merged somewhere and had become one.

I could tell we were both eager to merge not just metaphorically but physically again, and I think we would have gone another round of lovemaking if my stomach hadn't growled so profusely. I couldn't even tell you how many hours or days ago I had eaten last. The claiming had seemed endless as if devoid of time. But reality had caught up with us and reality was I needed to eat and drink.

Dimitri poured us both glasses with water, and I gulped the first down in record time. I saw he was doing the same. I think our desperate thirst didn't dissipate until the third cup, only to be replaced by the need for food. We pigged out on bread and meat and anything else that was available here. Ripping apart meat from bone and fruit from seeds, and sopping up their juices with loaf after loaf of bread. I couldn't decide what tasted better. I wanted to put everything in my mouth at the same time and sometimes did, much to Dimitri's amusement. We ate every last crumb before we could relax.

"I needed that."

Dimitri concurred by nodding his head, his mouth still too full to talk. After he swallowed his last bit of meat, he wiped his mouth and leaned back in his chair, patting his stomach as if to reassure it that it had had enough.

"So what do you want to do today?"

I thought about it, and I was bombarded with images of last night and I could feel myself blush and heat up by even thinking about it. But I was also sore. The mark needed to heal a bit, and honestly, I was thoroughly rug-burned down there. Not that I wouldn't if he would move that delicious body over towards me. Also, I was sticky all over, and I imagined Dimitri was the same.

"A bath. I want to take a long leisurely bath."

Dimitri laughed again knowing exactly why a bath wasn't just a comfort right now, but a necessity.

I was so good to hear him laugh. I really felt we had overcome our hardships. It had been tough, first with him lying to me, then me finding out I am a hybrid, the war and then his capture. We had been through hell together and ended up on the other side. We were stronger for it, and now nobody would tear us apart. We could finally build a life together and be happy.

Dimitri had opened his mouth to say something, but no words were coming out. He switched his attention from me towards something behind me. His happy aura was gone and was replaced by a scowl and a protective stare. He got up immediately and stormed towards my side. He got down in a protective stance and growled at whoever or whatever was behind me.

I got up and saw that our chambers were filled with Dragon guards and they were holding chains. There were at least a dozen of them.

"You need to come with us, now."

One of the Dragon guards stepped forward wearily. I was confused. Why were they asking Dimitri to come with them in chains?

"I am not going anywhere until you tell me what you are doing here." His tone left no debate about what would happen if the guard didn't comply.

"I wasn't talking about you. I meant her. She has to come with us."

All the Dragons eyes were indeed turned to me. I looked at them in shock.

"Me? What did I do?"

I immediately thought maybe they were here to arrest me because of desertion, but I thought Stan and Adrian had taken care of that for us.

I wanted to ask what this was all about, but Dimitri didn't give me the chance. He had moved protectively in front of me, and when one of them tried to move forward to put the chains on me, Dimitri attacked. Before his punch connected with his target, he had transformed into his Dragon form, and the guard was met not with a hand but with a large claw. Now that Dimitri was in his Dragon form the guards were dwarfed in his presence. Stupidly enough they still attacked. And although I am living proof that size doesn't mean everything, here Dimitri showed that it did. Well, size and years if not centuries of training. He threw them around as if they were nothing.

They had forgotten about me for a bit and were now completely focused on Dimitri. I saw guards that had respected him their entire lives fight him. I had no doubt in my mind that Dimitri would dispatch these men. I had no doubt that he would protect me. What I had doubts about was what it would do to Dimitri to hurt these guards. It would weaken his position at court, and I didn't need him to feel guilty about one more thing.

"Stop," I said, but none of them seemed to hear me, the sounds of bones breaking and scales clashing too loud.

"Please stop." A little louder now, hoping Dimitri would respond to my plea. But nothing. So I inhaled and screamed on top of my lungs for them to stop. The battle ceased, and I walked up to Dimitri. He let go of the poor guard he had had his hands on and I snuggled against his chest plate.

"It's okay, I'll go with them, but please stop this. I don't want anyone hurt because of me."

Dimitri looked down at me, and I know he wanted to protest this. He wanted to keep me safe from everything.

"It will be alright. We will sort this out. I am sure this is a misunderstanding. Just get Stan and Adrian and we will figure this out."

He seemed skeptical but realized that maybe a complete annihilation of the guards wasn't in my best interest if we wanted to dispute treason and desertion.

So with a small nod from his giant Dragon head, he agreed and I turned around towards the guards.

"I'll come with you, just please forgive him for being protective of me."

One of the guards looked at me warily and moved forwards very slowly as if I was a cobra and could strike at any moment.

Once he had put on the shackles his whole body relaxed, seemingly relieved he had completed his mission without dying.

The leader of the guards stepped forward.

"Rosemarie Hathaway. I am here to arrest you on the charge of high treason."

Yeah, I expected that.

"You will be trialed for the murder of our beloved Queen Tatiana. Now take her away."

Wait, what? Murder? No. No. No. I abandoned a mission. I saw Tatiana only days ago. Now she was dead? And they think I did it?

But I had no time to protest or get out of the chains, as they were already moving me towards the corridor.

I knew Dimitri had heard the charge and I expected him to attack them again. I looked over at him, trying to convince him not to act. We would figure this out. We would find out what was going on.

I saw him conflicted. He understood my reasons for not wanting him to attack them, but he wasn't going to let me be executed for a murder I hadn't committed either. His gaze shifted and I knew he was about to attack again when a slight brown claw settled on his shoulder. Adrian had come and was stopping Dimitri from attacking them. I couldn't quite make out what he said, but I was grateful. Attacking them now wouldn't do either of us good. I didn't miss the sadness in Adrian's eyes. Although I knew Dimitri's relationship with Tatiana was rocky at best, I knew Adrian had been very close to her. So it was true, she was dead. At least I was grateful Adrian didn't seem to think I had anything to do with it. He had looked at me with pity, not anger.

So I let them take me away, leaving behind my distraught mate.

Me and my big mouth, or in this case mind. I jinxed it. I thought our struggles were over. But I suppose the universe wasn't done with us yet. I was just glad we hadn't waited with the claiming. At least if things went south, I knew I had been with the one person I loved most in this world.

It was the one thought that kept me warm after they locked me in a cell. The cell itself was bare bar a rock, supposedly for sleeping, and a little internal stream that flowed from one end of the cell to the other. On the bright side, it was huge. You were trapped by bars, but the cell was larger than Lissa's chambers and adjoining rooms, probably because it was designed for Dragons and not a humanoid. Of course, the space was the only good thing that came with it. Dragons, for instance, didn't use mattresses or blankets or even a toilet. At least I had mastered my flame, so I could keep myself warm, but it was frustrating to know that even when they weren't trying to degrade a prisoner, they were.

And after spending the last twenty-four hours in jail, I was over it.

Dimitri hadn't visited, but I know Adrian was probably responsible for that and I think he was right to do so. One look at me behind bars and Dimitri would deck all the guards, rip the bars from the mountain with his bare hands and whisk me away while the mountain crumbled in the background. But I must admit not doing anything, simply sitting here and walking around was getting to me, and I had been here only a day. I had no idea how long I would have to be in here, but I was already choosing execution over this, and that wasn't good.

I was pacing around when I heard claws strike against the rock as someone approached me.

Even if it was dark, and he was a black Dragon, I could tell when my father walked in, because the guards kept a good distance between him and them and looked absolutely petrified.

"Hello, little girl."

"Old man," I reciprocated the greeting.

"You really are a magnet for trouble aren't you?"

"So I have been told. But this time I didn't do it. I don't even know exactly what they think I did. They won't tell me anything."

"Our beloved Queen Tatiana was found dead yesterday morning, with a small human sized blade protruding from her chest, a huge burn wound around it. The blacksmith has identified the blade as the one he made for you. And seeing as your signature is kind of the blade combined with fire as the so-called skeleton key, naturally, you are a suspect." I didn't miss the snarkiness when he said, beloved queen.

My blade? I hardly ever let it out of my sight, but then again, I had been a bit busy the last few days. I still had it when I had taught Tasha a lesson, but after that, I hadn't seen it anymore. I tried to remember if it had been in the chambers when they dragged me off in chains, but my mind was coming up blank. Then again, I wasn't really paying attention to my surroundings as they clapped the irons on me.

"Well, I didn't do it. I was…occupied." I couldn't help but blush thinking back about what I was occupied with or more accurately who I was occupied with.

"Unfortunately, your alibi is not reliable."

"What? Why is Dimitri not a reliable alibi? He is called Honorable for Gods' sakes."

Abe chuckled.

"Generally speaking your lover isn't a very good alibi. He could simply be lying to protect you."

I groaned and threw my hands in the air out of frustration.

"Then how am I going to convince them that I am innocent?"

Abe's eyes darkened.

"I don't know, but I know I am not letting you take the fall for this. Even if we can't prove anything, you will never face sentencing."

I believed him. His entire body screamed that he would make it so, even if he would have to move heaven and earth.

"Why hasn't Dimitri come to see me yet?" I knew it was better for him not to right now, but I still wondered.

Abe actually laughed.

"Oh, he tried. It took my personal guard, Christian and Stan to stop him. But we finally decked him long enough to convince him that coming to see you here is not wise. They will suspect him too. He and Tatiana have never seen eye to eye on things, and we need to make sure he isn't dragged into this with you."

I hadn't considered how me being suspect of her murder might implicate Dimitri too, but Dimitri and Tatiana hadn't seen eye to eye on many things. I suppose incriminating Dimitri more would be bad. It was already a miracle they hadn't arrested him too. After all, if I didn't have an alibi from Dimitri, he didn't have an alibi from me. But I suppose they were willing to think the best of their beloved General, while I was nothing but a hybrid and easy to take the fall. I wondered if they were looking very hard to find evidence of my innocence?

"But there has to be something we can do? I mean, I can't just stay here forever." I couldn't help the little bit of panic that leaked into my voice at the prospect of staying here for a long time.

"You won't. There will be a hearing tomorrow. After that we will know more about the evidence against you, and what we need to do about this."

I nodded, wrapping my arms around me, suddenly feeling the cold seeping in.

"And I'll make sure you get a blanket and a mattress. I know humans in our jails are uncommon, but they should treat you decently."

"Thanks, Dad. I would like that."

He put his claw through the bars as far as they allowed and touched me gently on the shoulder.

"It will be alright little girl. I won't let anything happen to you. And I don't think your man will either."

I felt better after Abe left. Somehow he had gotten me a blanket. The guard who had given it to me practically threw it through the bars, fearful I would bite him or something. I wondered if it was because I was suspect for the murder of their Queen, or because I was Abe's daughter?

I also wondered if I wasn't responsible for the fear in their eyes myself. I hadn't missed the skeleton key comments. Although a cool name, I really would have preferred Rose the Protective. It was going around with Dimitri, Christian, and Adrian. And I think I could get Stan sold on it. But I wondered if now my name had been chosen for me for something I hadn't even done. Then again, skeleton key was more a curse word now and didn't adhere to the rules about Dragon nicknaming. So maybe if I could prove myself innocent, Rose the Protective could still live.

* * *

I suppose many of you liked the last chapter. I know it was a long time coming. (pun intended) And I hate to break up our happy couple, but I cant make a VA story without killing Tatiana, now can I?

Don't worry all will be well soon, there are only a few chapters left and I always have a happy ending.


	45. Chapter 45

DPOV

I was pacing my chambers. There had been four guards stationed at my door, and Christian, Adrian and Stan had never left me out of their sight. I didn't blame them, the moment they had their backs turned, I would get out of here, find Rose and leave.

I had seen the evidence; it wasn't looking good.

I was trying to wrap my head around how someone could have taken her blade. Were we really that unobservant? Someone had come into our room and taken it, right from under our noses. I know claimings were all consuming, but we should have noticed something. Now she was going to be executed because I had claimed her.

I growled for the fiftieth time, trying to let out some of the frustration.

"Come on Dimitri, there has to be something we can do. We have to think."

I wasn't capable of rational thought right now, but Adrian was right, we needed to have a game plan when we went into the trial today.

I was grateful Adrian was here. I knew he was taking Tatiana's death hard. She and he had been close, and losing her meant losing one of the few family members that loved him and respected him. Also when this was over, he would be crowned King, and I knew he had wanted to wait at least a few centuries before he did that. But even with all of that, he was still of more use than Lissa.

Lissa had come with Christian, and she seemed shell-shocked. She was sitting in a corner of our room and was simply staring into space. She looked so small as a human next to all of us that were in Dragon form. Well all except me. They hadn't given me much choice in the matter. I was less of a flight risk when human. Christian was mostly human now when Lissa was around, but since one of his jobs was to make sure I didn't leave, I think he wanted access to his strength. Lissa was tall but very skinny, maybe that was what was making her look so small now. Rose never looked as small as Lissa does around Dragons. I could see Lissa was determined to help Rose, but she seemed almost crazed because she couldn't come up with something to help her.

"We either need to prove Rose didn't do it, or prove someone else did. So either incriminating evidence against someone else or evidence that would exonerate Rose would help."

Abe hadn't fared much better than me. He had been able to keep his cool long enough to visit her and provide her with some information and some blankets, but he had come back seething and cursing the entire Dragon race. But Abe wouldn't be Abe if he didn't work well under pressure.

"They have the blade and made a positive identification that it is indeed hers. Guards saw a dark-haired human woman come out of Tatiana's chambers and the wound inflicted by that person, was done by a flame hotter than most Dragons are capable of. It isn't looking good." I replied, my voice devoid of hope.

I had been running the evidence over in my head. Although most of it was circumstantial, the combination was very incriminating towards Rose.

"Think Dimitri. Was there anyone, anything that could serve as an alibi for you two? Anything that could prove you were in this room the entire time?" Abe had asked me the question over and over again. But the world could have burned for all we knew. Our whole attention had been towards each other.

The mark on my chest was itching as if to remind me that it was responsible for this debacle. That I was responsible.

I pulled the shirt off of my chest relieved when the cool air touched my skin and soothed the sting of the mark.

All eyes in my chambers were directed at me.

"What the hell is that?" Adrian asked as he pointed at the picture of the Dragon on my human chest.

I blushed. Although part of the point of claiming is to visualize that you have a mate, it was still a private affair, and I wasn't comfortable discussing this in front of Adrian, or Abe for that matter.

"Rose and I claimed each other."

Abe shot up from his seated position.

"You claimed her that night?"

I nodded, surprised that his voice sounded hopeful, happy even. I would have expected him to be mad or at least threaten me a bit in an overprotective gesture. But he was smiling from ear to ear.

Then he walked over to me and whacked me on the head.

"Why didn't you tell us this yesterday?"

I simply shrugged. No one had asked.

"Can anyone confirm that they hadn't been mated the day before Tatiana died?" Abe asked around the room.

Adrian stepped forward.

"I can confirm that both Dimitri and Rose didn't have a claiming mark on their body that morning. Tasha and I… walked in on them, and I had a good look at both of them. Both their human skins didn't have any mark on them."

Abe's smile grew wider and wider. And I was catching on to what this meant.

Two hours later we all walked into the courtroom together. Abe had insisted on being Rose's representative, and I knew he had a plan. As they brought Rose in in chains, I tried very hard to stick to that plan, and not level this room and take her far away.

They placed her on a rock much too large for her. Everything was much too large for her. This whole room was designed for Dragons and was filled with Dragons. Rose looked ridiculous with her petite figure amongst these giants, yet somehow she was bigger than all of them. Her aura screamed power and respect, and judging by the many guards surrounding her, they were at least acknowledging her power.

Lissa was in the room as well. So the stares were divided between Rose and Lissa. Christian stayed in his Dragon form and kept his wing around Lissa in a show of protection, although I doubt Lissa would have to worry right now.

The judge climbed on a rock a little higher than the rest and motioned for the prosecutor to start the incrimination process.

He outlined how Tatiana was found and described the wound in great detail. He also described how she must have felt in her last moment in an attempt to vilify Rose and get the crowd on his side. He said she must have been scared in the face of such a monster. Tatiana hasn't been scared a day in her life. But the description of the wound and how it must have gotten there, not the mention his over-dramatic representation of how much it must have hurt, told me a few things.

The real killer had been brutal in killing Tatiana, but took the time to make it look like Rose did it. It showed how much he or she disliked Rose as well. She wasn't just the obvious scapegoat, she had been targeted specifically. But people were all too fast in believing this lie. Mostly because they could attribute such a heinous act to someone not like them. This fit in the view most people had of a hybrid. But if a Dragon had done this, it would mean someone like us, someone amongst us was capable of such an act.

By the time he was finished, _I_ almost believed Rose had killed Tatiana. If we were going to get her out of this, we needed to do it fast.

After the prosecutor had finished his piece, it was Abe's turn and he turned to question Rose. She was now turned towards the crowd, and although people looked down on her with disdain, she held her head up high.

"Rosemarie, how did you earn the name skeleton key?"

Rose looked shrewdly at her father. But shrugged and answered anyway.

"It was a name Snow Dragons gave me, in reference to me being able to get any secret out of them, sort of like being able to open any door."

Abe looked proud, but tried to squash his glowing pride in the face of professionalism.

"So how did you open those doors?"

Rose had a humorless smile on her face. Her voice sounded hollow when she spoke.

"I tortured them."

"Explain."

I had no idea where Abe was going with this, but I needed to trust him, I saw Rose had a similar thought, but decided to give him the benefit of the doubt as well.

"I would use my blade to sever a blood vessel, I would keep the blade in, and after a certain amount of time when I knew they were losing too much blood I would transfer heat through the blade to cauterize the wound. It kept them alive long enough to talk, but the whole process is excruciatingly painful. The first few tries I killed the Dragon too fast, but I learned a lot in four months about the vascular system and which major arteries I can target and which ones I can't."

"And Snow Dragons in battle? Any particular way to kill those?"

"I mostly killed them fast, by severing their spine at the base of their neck. It kills them instantly."

"So you would say you are pretty well practiced when it came to killing Dragons? Either killing them fast or slowly?"

I was about to run over there and deck him. Letting the court know what a skilled killer she was, was not helping to prove her innocent of murder. But Rose answered anyway.

"I suppose."

"So how would you explain Tatiana? She was neither skillfully tortured for hours, nor killed quickly. If you did kill her, why would you deviate from your own method so much? If it was about simply killing her, I would have expected a cut at the base of her spine, if you wanted her to suffer, there would be many more cuts and burn wounds."

"I suppose so, but there aren't any, because I didn't kill her."

"Objection. Deviating from a killing pattern is hardly evidence to suggest the defendant is innocent," the prosecutor bellowed between the father and daughter's strange conversation.

"Yes, but it does make you wonder, doesn't it. Why not use the knowledge she has gathered to kill the Queen? Why make it look clumsy? It is neither one nor the other. Not a fast killing, nor a devised delay of death. The brutality inflicted screams inexperience, something we have determined Rose is not."

I swear I heard Tasha humph a few rows before me.

"Thank you, Rosemarie. I would like to call on my next witness. Lord Adrian the Charming."

Upon Abe's request, he stepped forward and took the spot next to Rose.

"I am sorry for your loss my Lord." Abe started off. He had said that in private, but I suppose these things are mandatory in this room.

"Thank you."

"Can you tell me when you saw Rose last prior to our beloved Queen being taken from this world?"

He was laying it on a bit thick now, wasn't he?

"I was accompanying Lady Tasha to General Dimitri's chambers. She wanted to discuss a disagreement she had with my aunt and wanted the General's opinion. When we entered, they were… occupied."

"Without delving into too much detail, could you see any discernable markings on either of them?"

"No. There were none, and I got a pretty good look at both of them. So did Lady Tasha."

I started to blush when the crowd started to murmur. Rose seemed to see the funny side of it, so did Adrian. I, on the other hand, was mortified. At least he hadn't specified how they had found us, or how we hadn't stopped when they entered.

"Thank you, my Lord. That will be all."

Adrian stepped down and I knew it was my turn next. He gently nudged me as he moved past me in an attempt at comfort.

"I would like to call General Dimitri the Honorable to the stand."

I got up from my seat and walked towards to front of the room. When I walked beside Tasha, she grabbed my arm.

"Don't do this Dimitri. Don't get dragged down with her. She is gone already, please reconsider."

I took my arm from her and stared down at her. Although I knew my other friends were concerned for me as well, none of them had tried to talk me out of helping Rose. I ignored Tasha's request and simply kept walking.

The prosecutor wasn't very happy with me being there, and protested.

"Despite his reputation, he can't testify here. His testimony isn't impartial, and he could say anything to protect her."

Abe smiled deviously at the man and he took a step back.

"The General has information I want to hear, so he will testify. You are welcome to cross-examine him."

The prosecutor puffed up a bit.

"Oh, I will."

Great.

Abe turned to me and started.

"Would you mind walking me through the events that happened after Lady Tasha and Lord Adrian left your room all the way up to the morning Rose was arrested?"

"I do mind."

Abe scowled, and I heard Rose giggle a bit behind me. I saw Adrian shake his head, but smiling underneath. I took a deep breath and started.

"When they left Rose and I… we were… intimate. Pretty much the whole day until they came to arrest her."

The prosecutor laughed.

"Sex is hardly an alibi. Besides, you must have slept during the night; even you can't keep that pace up. She could have snuck out undetected and snuck back in. You can't account for her presence the entire time."

He looked smug, but Abe looked smugger. This was what he was waiting for, and the prosecutor walked right into his little web. Abe nodded towards me and I continued.

"We didn't sleep. We couldn't even if we wanted to. Because that night, I claimed Rosemarie Hathaway as my own and she claimed me."

The whole room went silent, other than a person murmuring about us keeping him up all night with the sounds. The man seemed rather relieved it was a claiming, and I would imagine so. I don't know if I would have been able to keep it up that long otherwise. I knew I had a reputation of being invincible, no doubt he wondered if it transferred to the bedroom. Some people simply seemed shocked, no doubt that I had claimed a hybrid. Although there were no rules for claiming humans or hybrids, the consensus was that it simply wasn't done, hence there being no rules against it. But Rose was fitting in nicely, well before they arrested her for the murder of our monarch. I had no doubt most people would accept her. Also, I suspected Christian would claim Lissa at one point, so by then me claiming a hybrid would be old news. Or maybe they were shocked I had claimed anybody at all. It was no secret I had an aversion to claiming due to my father.

But the person who seemed the most shocked, mortified even, was Tasha. There was something in her eyes I couldn't quite place. She looked hurt, and angry, and maybe there was a bit of pity in her eyes as well.

Everyone knew what claiming Rose meant. I didn't have to spell it out. If I claimed her that night, there was no way she would have been capable of any other thought than to make love to me. The markings on both of us making sure of it. We couldn't be each other's alibis, but the claiming itself was the alibi. It seemed that the claiming that doomed her at first, might now be her salvation.

Once the prosecutor had regained his focus, he turned to me.

"As romantic as that sounds, there is no way to prove that that was the night you claimed her."

He looked smug again, but when he turned to Abe to gloat, Abe's smile only increased, I could see he was losing heart in his argument.

"Ah, but there is. I have a report from a physician that examined both Rose's marks as well as Dimitri's and confirmed they were no more than days old. The skin was still sensitive from the process. And Lord Adrian has confirmed that both Dimitri and Rose were unmarked when he saw them that morning. And since there were guards watching her the entire time in jail, the only possible time the claiming could have taken place was the night of Tatiana's murder."

That was it. Our entire defense. If he shot a hole it in now, if he came up with something we hadn't foreseen, we would be doomed.

He was thinking hard and you could see the wheels turning in his head.

"Markings can be small. Lord Adrian might simply not have noticed them. I doubt he would have been able to see their entire bodies when he walked in."

"Oh no I did. The whole lot!" Adrian yelled from the back, making everyone laugh.

"General Dimitri. If you please," Abe politely asked.

I stood up and removed my shirt, showing the rather sizable mark.

"Now, my dear daughter, let's show him that yours would be hard to miss as well."

Rose stood up and undid her robe. She draped the garment in such a way that her most private parts were covered, but the rest of her was showing. She kept the garment in front of her breasts and it fell down far enough to cover her vagina. She did tuck it inwards a bit so her marked leg was showing. She turned around, showing her back and her marked hip.

The room went silent again. The mark was way too big to have been missed by Adrian. I honestly think it might have been one of the biggest marks ever. I could see a few claimed females look at Rose with respect and awe and maybe a little longing. I think they remember the pain as well as the pleasure from their own claiming.

After a few moments of admiring Rose's mark, or in the case of the males, her body, she covered up again and so did I; and then the room erupted in conversation and pointing. We all knew now that Rose had to be innocent. That there is no way she could have killed Tatiana. But one person in the audience disagreed, and it came from an unlikely source.

"No. No. She obviously put a spell on him to claim her. She probably made him think he was with her, while she snuck out and killed Tatiana. We don't even know if a hybrid is as affected by a claiming as Dragons are. There is no way, Dimitri would claim anyone, let alone her!"

Tasha had stood up and was practically fuming as she pointed towards Rose.

Rose's gaze darkened before it lit with realization.

"You. It was you! You took my blade on the way out of our chambers! The hot flame, the dark-haired human, that was you in human form. You were complaining how her Majesty wouldn't change the military to include people like you. So you killed her…and blamed me!"

Tasha recoiled, and the moment she was called out I knew Rose was right. Abe turned towards Tasha having realized as well the truth in his daughter's words.

All eyes in the room turned to Tasha now, and she cringed under the scrutiny.

"Well, she is speaking rubbish of course," but her voice waivered too much. The prosecutor zoned in on her insecurity.

"Then I am sure you can tell us where you were that night, and no doubt have an alibi."

Tasha paled.

"I don't have to tell you anything. There is no evidence I killed Tatiana. I am not the one on trial here."

"Not yet, but now that Miss Hathaway is exonerated, the investigation begins again, and we usually begin with people who had arguments with the deceased. And clearly, you and Queen Tatiana didn't see eye to eye. So I will ask again. Where were you that night?"

Tasha panicked. And a panicked Fire Dragon was not a good thing. She was looking around her looking for a way out. I saw she had come to the conclusion she wasn't going to get out of this, but she wasn't going down without a fight.


	46. Chapter 46

RPOV

Son of a bitch. I knew I didn't like her. But I never thought she had it in her to kill someone or to blame somebody else just to get to what she wanted. But as I looked at her, I think reason had left her a while ago.

I knew she wasn't doing this to be evil. I had seen evil in Isaiah and Galina. Their eyes had been cold and calculated. Every step they made, every life they took, they did it with purpose. And of course, satisfaction as was their nature, but they seemed in complete control of their actions and not simply led by instinct, rage or desire. But none of that was present in Tasha. Her eyes held so many emotions at once, it was hard to pinpoint what she was thinking. Fear, anger, rejection, and of course a whole shit load of crazy. Her eyes kept scanning over the crowd, but I doubt they were seeing anything. In one word, she was unhinged, all pretense of the sane person she seemed only a day ago gone.

She wasn't helping her own cause. Her actions were plain for everyone to see now. I could already see the disdain on people's faces about what she had done. Although I bet it was more for the horrible death she had caused Tatiana, than the fact she had framed me.

She was digging her own grave. Or as the case may be, that of others. She inhaled, and I knew she was desperate enough to unleash her flame here just to get out of it. I don't think she was targeting anybody, her eyes never regained focus. I might have expected her to target me, but she didn't seem to be coherent anymore. She just wanted to get out of there. She knew what being sentenced meant, so she was willing to risk it now, so she could avoid execution.

Her chest plate lit up, and her fire underneath was visible. You could see it moved from deep within her chest towards the surface following its natural path towards her snout. It seemed to take forever, but in reality, it must have been a split second. I calculated the direction I thought she would unleash her flame and saw a single person in her path.

Lissa. I don't think she realized it, because I doubt she would want to hurt Christian, but she was in the line of fire. I didn't hesitate, my movement was almost instinctual. I had wondered, now that I had something to live for besides Lissa if I would still be willing to sacrifice myself for her, but I had my answer. I would always save her. No matter the cost to me. Not to mention Tasha would have taken out two monarchs in as many days, and I couldn't let that happen.

So I threw off my robe, and let the flames engulf me in a protective layer as I moved towards Lissa. The bright light around me seemed to shock some people, but unfortunately, it didn't deter Tasha from her path.

We reached her at the same time. Her flame crashed into me, pushing Lissa and me into the wall. Her flame was indeed hot. Galina had tried to burn me when I was like this, but I didn't even feel her, but Tasha's flame was different. Like Christian's, it burned extremely hot and despite my own flame being able to match the heat and intensity, I could feel the power of it burning me away. I was just glad Lissa was on the other side of me, protected from the blaze.

I pushed as much as I could, burning hotter myself to combat the flame trying to consume us both. But even I had a limit to my power but luckily so did she. The blinding light created by our flames suddenly dissipated, as if someone had thrown a blanket over us, shrouding us in darkness. I didn't see anything except total blackness. I fell to the ground, and I realized that some of the blackness wasn't from the lack of light, but the lack of consciousness. I passed out before my body had fully hit the ground. The only thing I did see, and what brought me enough peace to let my body fall unconscious, was the steady rise and fall of Lissa's chest.

I woke up in a soft plushy bed. I winced when I tried to get up. My entire body hurt. I could barely move. As a matter of fact, as I tried to sit up or get out, my body was unresponsive.

"Wow Rose, take it easy."

Her voice was a welcome sound, and I immediately relaxed as I felt Lissa's hand rest on my shoulder.

I opened my eyes which required a lot more energy than it should have.

"You need to lay still Rose. You have been hurt a bit in your fight with Tasha. I have made that special ointment you like and Karolina is making some sort of tea which is also supposed to help."

Lissa's special ointment. Lissa had a bit of a gift when it came to healing. Somehow instinctually she knew which herbs she needed to combine to treat a wound. Whether it was a rash, a burn or a scrape, her ointments always worked. Karolina's tea was also pretty good; it helped me heal fast last time, although I wondered how much of that had been my hybrid blood.

"What… is …wrong…with…me?" Man, that took a lot of energy to get out.

"Don't worry Rose, you'll be up in no time. The theory is that you spend so much energy maintaining your flame to protect me, you simply didn't have anything left. It is just about getting your energy up again, and you'll be good as new."

"Dimitri?" I asked trying to look around the room, recognizing it as his chambers, well I suppose our chambers now.

"I sent someone to let him know you woke up. He had been here a lot, but he had to be by Adrian's side too. There is a lot to do for his coronation."

I nodded.

Lissa was quiet after that. I could see her almost crying. I asked her the silent question because asking it out loud just seemed so much work. I just kept staring at her until she finally broke down. She threw herself at me in a dramatic gesture, sobbing into my chest.

"Oh, Rose. I am so sorry."

What did she have to be sorry about?

"I am so sorry I doubted you. When you were off to war and when you were taking care of Dimitri, I felt you abandoned me, like you picked him over me. But you nearly died protecting me from Tasha. You didn't hesitate, you just jumped in front, and now you can't MOVE!"

And she started to wail again. I tried to comfort her, but my voice was silent and my hand was still.

"I am such as horrible, horrible person."

She pulled back a little and quieted her sobbing a bit.

"I know you will always protect me, Rose. I know you want a life with Dimitri and at first, I was worried you would leave me. I mean Viktoria is fine, I like her, and when Christian is around I hardly need any protection, but I selfishly wanted my best friend by my side. I wanted you to always be there. Now I know you will be there for me when I need you."

She hugged me again, and I crossed my eyes behind her. She needed me to almost die for her to realize this? Yes, I wanted my own life. I had my own life now, but she would always be a priority for me.

I tried to hug her as best as I could.

"I love you, Liss," I whispered. I didn't know if my voice reached her, but she hugged me a little tighter.

After a long hug, that I was unable to get out of even if I wanted too, and at some point, I had wanted to, Lissa got up to get me some water. I saw her wince a bit and rub a sore spot on her back. I also saw that she was wearing a dress with loose sleeves. I would recognize that wince anywhere.

"Lissa? Do you have… something to tell me?" Well, I was getting that out better than the last sentence.

She turned towards me and blushed, but where I would have expected joy, she also seemed a little apprehensive. I looked around the room but didn't see Christian anywhere.

"Liss? Help me up."

Liss walked over to me, placed the cup of water on the side and helped me up a little higher on the pillow. The sight was funny. I was pretty much dead weight and I couldn't move to help her. Lissa was very slim and had no muscle what so ever, so her trying to pull me up a bit must have looked hilarious. But somehow she managed to place me a little higher so I could at least pretend I was sitting up.

"Tell me what happened. He claimed you, didn't he?"

Lissa nodded, again looking more ashamed than happy. I lifted my hand a bit and moved it over towards her hand only a few inches to the left. Yet it felt like a few miles by the effort it took me to move it. I was very glad when her hand was underneath mine, and I could crash my hand on top of hers.

"Liss. Tell me, where is lord Snarkyness anyway?"

"He claimed me, Rose. It happened before everything with Tasha. It was amazing, and I love him so."

There was that smile I had expected a moment ago. That smile that I wore permanently now too. The smile that said that you and your mate were bonded forever, and maybe a little afterglow from the claiming itself.

"So why are you looking down then?"

Then she started crying again. I had no idea what I had done, but her wailing was insufferably loud.

"Because now you won't be my guardian anymore, because I married the nephew of the person that tried to kill you by framing you for murder! I had already been thinking about redecorating the room next to me to house you and Dimitri when you are at the palace. I had the curtains picked and everything even ordered a giant bed. And now it will all go to waste."

She buried her head in her hands and kept sobbing. I rolled my eyes. I was wondering what had her more upset, the curtains or me not being a constant in her life anymore?

"Lissa? Liss!" She looked up and sniffed.

"I am not going to abandon you. I don't blame Christian for any of this."

"You don't?"

"Of course not." Christian and I had been through so much together. It wasn't just about making Lissa happy, Christian had a special place in my heart. And although I knew he would take the situation with Tasha personally, I also knew Christian as a person and he was a good man, he wouldn't have had anything to do with what Tasha did.

"Now tell me about him claiming you. The romantic bits, I don't need the details of the actual act."

Seemingly satisfied with my proclaimed peace with Christian, she giggled but gushed about how he had followed human tradition and proposed and how they would have a human ceremony in the summer when she would take the throne. Yeva had performed the ritual which had been surprisingly painless. She was still talking a mile a minute, the curtains making an appearance again when a flustered Dimitri came into the room.

"Roza." He rushed to my side and grabbed my hand as he bent down next to me to come to my level.

"Are you okay? I was so worried."

"Fine, exhausted, frustrated I have no control over my body and starving."

He chuckled, but lifted me up a little better and placed a soft pillow behind my back.

"I suppose I have to feed you then."

He got up and grabbed me a plate filled with bread and meat. I tried to pull the bread apart with my hands, but although I had progressed to being able to pick up the piece of bread, tearing it apart still was beyond my capabilities. Dimitri grabbed the bread, and plucked off small pieces and handed it to me.

"What happened? Where is Christian?"

Dimitri sat down on the bed with me, and Lissa started to fidget again.

"He is visiting Tasha in the cells right now. He doesn't want to come here, so I imagine he will leave for his room afterward."

"I get it. I wouldn't want to be around me either if I were him. I mean, I was the one who called out Tasha." I looked down at my hands. They were unmoving, and right now it had nothing to do with lack of energy. I knew she had wronged me and deserved punishment, but she was Christian's only family, and he was my friend. I could have handled it better.

Dimitri shook his head, and a small humorless smile made its way onto his face.

"He doesn't want to come here, because he doesn't want to hurt you. It was his aunt that nearly got you killed."

I groaned and laid back.

"Oh for God sakes. I don't blame Christian, and we should get this out of the way before it becomes awkward. He is your best friend and my best friend's boyfriend, not to mention my friend as well. We need this sorted out. Let him come here when he is finished."

I tasked Lissa to get Christian when he was finished visiting his aunt. After about two hours he walked into our chambers in human form. He looked down at the ground, his shoulders hunched over. He sat down in a chair and purposely kept it a few feet away. I sighed. This wasn't going to be easy.

"How is Tasha?"

He shrugged. "Pretty much same as you. She expended most of her strength trying to hurt you and Lissa."

He quickly gazed at Lissa, and I could see a peculiar mix of love and shame in his eyes. Afterall, his aunt had targeted Lissa too. I doubt she had planned it or meant it, but if I hadn't intervened, Lissa would have been dead because of her right now. Maybe he was also a bit shameful he hadn't been able to save Lissa. Or maybe he was blaming himself for not seeing Tasha descent into madness.

"Oyi, Snarky."

He looked up a little shocked and maybe a little pissed off, but at least the shame was driven from his eyes.

"Did I not spend four months, by your side, defying the army and torturing Snow Dragons to save our loved ones and risk everything for them?"

He nodded.

"Did I not trust you without words and without a doubt?"

He nodded again.

"Did I not turn to you to try and save those stupid boys from getting killed?"

Again he nodded.

"Do you still trust me?"

He looked up at me.

"Of course I do."

"Okay then, that is settled. Now, of course, I will have to hurt you because you didn't ask me before claiming Lissa. I might have to add mint oil to your water again. Try and mark her with that pathetic flame."

He grinned and shook his head.

"At least I didn't mark her entire body. There isn't a part of you Dimitri didn't mark."

He had mischief in his eyes and had his arms crossed defiantly. My own face reflected a similar smirk.

"Probably because you couldn't muster up enough flame to do it. Or maybe other parts of your stamina were lacking? I mean it was a very lengthy process for us."

He was about to retort with a quick whip, but Dimitri held up his hand.

"That is enough you two. You will have time to insult each other later. Christian, why don't you take Lissa and go to your room? Rose needs to rest."

Christian nodded in his direction, a lot more at ease than when he had come in. He grabbed Lissa, and she waved as she walked by and they left our room. Dimitri took off his shirt and laid down next to me. He had to help me down.

"Lissa has a room ready to decorate at the palace for us."

He simply hmphed in reply.

"And when we want a bit more privacy we can go to the cave."

He nodded again wordlessly.

"I imagine Lissa will also spend some time here because of Christian."

"Yes, I know he was making plans to make his alcove a bit more human-friendly" Dimitri responded.

"And we will have to be here a lot too right, with Adrian?"

He nodded.

"At first yes, I am appointed battle lord and will have to deal with the military part. But I suppose after Adrian has settled in and provided there is peace, I doubt I will have to be here a lot. We will be freer to move about. Just like I was before."

I snuggled closer to him. I suppose we would work it all out. We will have three homes, although I would always consider Dimitri's cave our real home, even if I spent only a few weeks there, where I had spent my whole life with Lissa. But the most important thing was that we were together. I would still be able to be there for Lissa, and Dimitri could still do his job as General, but we also had our own lives and a duty to each other now. And I couldn't be happier.

Everything had worked out in the end. After being bound my entire life, after the war and torture, we were finally where we were supposed to be. And with that, I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

Well, that was until Dimitri uttered some words to me that made me want to go to war all over again.

"Oh, tomorrow we will have tea with my mother and grandmother, so they can get to know you better."

END

* * *

That is it folks.

My biggest story so far is finished. I had a lot of fun writing it and hearing everyone's comments en speculations. Thanks to everyone who took the time to review, fav and follow.


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